21 Of The Smallest National Parks In The United States

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Mountain Journey
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With 60 National Parks in the United States to choose from, which one will you visit first? These natural wonders are affordable and convenient destinations that are scattered across the USA.

National Park Service Logo | By U.S. government, National Park Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
National Park Service Logo | By U.S. government, National Park Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The National Park Service oversees 84.4 million acres spread across 417 different units. Of those units, 60 are national parks that protect 52.2 million acres. That’s a lot of wild land to explore! Many people flock to the big name parks like Yellowstone or Yosemite, but perhaps the ultimate vacation is to visit one of the smallest national parks in the United States.

The national parks range in size from 192.83 acres to over 8 million acres. In this post we look at the 21 smallest national parks in the United States – all of these parks are less than 100,000 acres in size.

Below you’ll find 21 of the smallest national parks in the United States:

1. Gateway Arch National Park

Gateway Arch National Park | Pixabay Image
Gateway Arch National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 192.83 acres
  • Location: Missouri
  • Date Established February 22, 2018
  • More Info

2. Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs National Park | Public Domain, Link
Hot Springs National Park | Public Domain, Link
  • Size: 5,548.01 acres
  • Location: Arkansas
  • Date Established March 4, 1921
  • More Info

3. National Park of American Samoa

National Park Of American Samoa | By Peter Craig, National Park Service - NPS Sea and Landscapes Photo Gallery, Public Domain, Link
National Park Of American Samoa | By Peter Craig, National Park Service – NPS Sea and Landscapes Photo Gallery, Public Domain, Link
  • Size: 8,256.67 acres
  • Location: American Samoa
  • Date Established October 31, 1988
  • More Info

4. Virgin Islands National Park

Virgin Islands National Park | See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Virgin Islands National Park | See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
  • Size: 14,940.00 acres
  • Location: US Virgin Islands
  • Date Established August 2, 1956
  • More Info

5. Congaree National Park

Congaree National Park | By Miguel.v [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Congaree National Park | By Miguel.v [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
  • Size: 26,539.22 acres
  • Location: South Carolina
  • Date Established November 10, 2003
  • More Info

6. Pinnacles National Park

Pinnacles National Park | By Samartur [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Pinnacles National Park | By Samartur [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
  • Size: 26,685.73 acres
  • Location: California
  • Date Established January 10, 2013
  • More Info

7. Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park | By Hogs555 [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park | By Hogs555 [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
  • Size: 30,780.76 acres
  • Location: Colorado
  • Date Established October 21, 1999
  • More Info

8. Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park | Pixabay Image
Cuyahoga Valley National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 32,572.35 acres
  • Location: Ohio
  • Date Established October 11, 2000
  • More Info

9. Haleakala National Park

Haleakala National Park | Pixabay Image
Haleakala National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 33,264.62 acres
  • Location: Hawaii
  • Date Established August 1, 1916
  • More Info

10. Wind Cave National Park

Wind Cave National Park | Pixabay Image
Wind Cave National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 33,970.84 acres
  • Location: South Dakota
  • Date Established January 9, 1903
  • More Info

11. Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park | Pixabay Image
Bryce Canyon National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 35,835.08. acres
  • Location: Utah
  • Date Established February 25, 1928
  • More Info

12. Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carsbad Cavern National Park | Pixabay Image
Carsbad Cavern National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 46,766.45 acres
  • Location: New Mexico
  • Date Established May 14, 1930
  • More Info

13. Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park | Pixabay Image
Acadia National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 49,075.26 acres
  • Location: Maine
  • Date Established February 26, 1919
  • More Info

14. Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park | Pixabay Image
Mesa Verde National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 52,485.17 acres
  • Location: Colorado
  • Date Established June 29, 1906
  • More Info

15. Mammoth Cave National Park

Mammoth Caves National Park | Public Domain, Link
Mammoth Caves National Park | Public Domain, Link
  • Size: 54,011.91 acres
  • Location: Kentucky
  • Date Established July 1, 1941
  • More Info

16. Dry Tortugas National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park | By U.S. National Park Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Dry Tortugas National Park | By U.S. National Park Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
  • Size: 64,701.22 acres
  • Location: Florida
  • Date Established October 26, 1992
  • More Info

17. Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park | By Ymblanter [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Theodore Roosevelt National Park | By Ymblanter [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
  • Size: 70,446.89 acres
  • Location: North Dakota
  • Date Established November 10, 1978
  • More Info

18. Arches National Park

Arches National Park | Pixabay Image
Arches National Park | Pixabay Image
  • Size: 76,678.90 acres
  • Location: Utah
  • Date Established November 12, 1971
  • More Info

19. Great Basin National Park

Great Basin National Park | Public Domain, Link
Great Basin National Park | Public Domain, Link
  • Size: 77,180.00 acres
  • Location: Nevada
  • Date Established October 27, 1986
  • More Info

20. Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountain National Park | Joyradost at English Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], from Wikimedia Commons
Guadalupe Mountain National Park | Joyradost at English Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], from Wikimedia Commons
  • Size: 86,367.10 acres
  • Location: Texas
  • Date Established October 15, 1966
  • More Info

21. Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park | By Saguaro Pictures [CC BY 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Saguaro National Park | By Saguaro Pictures [CC BY 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
  • Size: 91,715.72 acres
  • Location: Arizona
  • Date Established October 14, 1994
  • More Info

All acreage in this list is based on stats from Wikipedia.org. For more information on the different units in the National Park System, please visit: National Parks: Index 1916-2016. You can also find a variety of NPS statistics here.

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