National parks are popular destinations for outdoorsmen and adventurers, but there’s only 63 in the U.S. Because of this, many states don’t have one. Don’t let this stop you from trying to find great hikes in these states! We put together this list of what states have no national parks to help get the wheels turning on hiking ideas. It all starts with the only state that doesn’t have any national sites: Delaware.
Delaware is the only state in the union that doesn’t have a single national park service designation (national park, national preserve, national monument, national memorial, national historic site, national seashore, national battlefield park, etc.). Don’t let this discourage you from visiting the state and enjoying some hiking. Despite the lack of national sites, there are a lot of other great state parks and trails to enjoy. These include:
- Cape Henlopen State Park (pictured above)
- Lums Pond State Park
- Brandywine Creek State Park
- Middle Run Valley Park
- And so many more…
If you’re planning a trip to the northeast, Delaware is worth checking out. I know it doesn’t have the national resume many hikers want, but you’ll definitely find some good trails along the way.
So, I know I just said Delaware is the only state without a national site, but there are in fact 19 more that don’t have a “national park” designation on the list of 63 parks we generally think about. They do, however, have numerous national sites and trails that are worth exploring. Check out each one below and the sites within each state. Some of these places are cooler and more historic than what you’ll find in the national parks.
There’s also some massive trails included in these states that every hiker should venture at some point in their life. To name a few, there’s:
- Appalachian Trail
- Trail of Tears
- New England Trail
Without further delay, here’s the Other 19.
Visitors To National Sites: 1.2 million
Other National Sites To Explore: Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, Freedom Riders National Monument, Horseshoe Bend National Battlefield Park, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Natchez Trace National Parkway, Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, Russell Cave National Monument, Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, Trail Of Tears, National Historic Trail, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
Visitors To National Sites: 25,400
Other National Sites To Explore: Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Coltsville National Historic Park, New England National Scenic Trail, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, Weir Farm National Historic Park
Visitors To National Sites: 6.7 million
Other National Sites To Explore: Andersonville National Historic Site, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Fort Frederica National Monument, For Pulaski National Monument, Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, Ocmulgee Mounds, Trail Of Tears
Visitors To National Sites: 27,700
Other National Sites To Explore: Lewis & Clark National Trail, Abraham Lincoln’s Home, Mormon Pioneer National Trail, Pullman Park, Trail of Tears
Visitors To National Sites: 74,400
Other National Sites To Explore: Effigy Mounds, Herbert Hoover National Site, Lewis & Clark National Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Trail
Visitors To National Sites: 69,800
Other National Sites To Explore: Brown v. Board of Education Park, California National Trail, Fort Larned, Fort Scott, Lewis & Clark National Trail, Nicodemus National Site, Oregon Trail, Pony Express National Trail, Santa Fe National Trail, Tallgrass Prairie
Visitors To National Sites: 219,600
Other National Sites To Explore: Cane River Creole Park, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Trail, Jean Lafitte Preserve, New Orleans Jazz Park, Poverty Point, Vicksburg
Visitors To National Sites: 5.9 million
Other National Sites To Explore: Antietam, Appalachian National Trail, Assateague Island, Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Trail, Catoctin Mountain, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Park, Chesapeake Bay, Civil War Defenses of Washington, Clara Barton National Site, Fort Foote, Fort McHenry, Fort Washington, George Washington Parkway, Glen Echo Park, Greenbelt Park, Hampton National Site, Harmony Hall, Harpers Ferry, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Park, Monocacy, Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm, Piscataway Park, Potomac Heritage National Trail, Star-Spangled Banner National Trail, Thomas Stone National Site, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Trail
Visitors To National Sites: 5.8 million
Other National Sites To Explore: Adams Park, Appalachian National Trail, Blackstone River Valley, Boston Park, Boston African American National Site, Boston Harbor Islands, Cape Cod National Seashore, Frederick Law Olmstead National Site, John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Site, Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters, Lowell Park, Minute Man Park, New Bedford Whaling Park, New England National Trail, Salem Maritime National Site, Saugus Iron Works, Springfield Armory, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Trail
Visitors To National Sites: 6 million
Other National Sites To Explore: Brices Cross Roads, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home, Natchez Park, Natchez Trace Parkway, Natchez Trace National Trail, Shiloh Park, Tupelo National Battlefield, Vicksburg Park
Visitors To National Sites: 334,000
Other National Sites To Explore: Agate Fossil Beds, California National Trail, Homestead Park, Lewis & Clark National Trail, Missouri National Recreational River, Mormon Pioneer National Trail, Niobrara National Scenic River, Oregon Trail, Pony Express National Trail, Scotts Bluff
Visitors To National Sites: 13,200
Other National Sites To Explore: Appalachian National Trail, Saint-Gaudens Park
Visitors To National Sites: 5.5 million
Other National Sites To Explore: Appalachian National Trail, Delaware Water Gap, Ellis Island, Gateway Recreational Area, Great Egg Harbor River, Lower Delaware Scenic River, Morristown Park, New Jersey Pinelands, Paterson Great Falls Park, Thomas Edison Park, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Trail
Visitors To National Sites: 8.6 million
Other National Sites To Explore: African Burial Ground Monument, Appalachian Trail, Captain John Smith Chesapeake Trail, Castle Clinton, Chesapeake Bay, Eleanor Roosevelt Historic Site, Ellis Island, Federal Hall, Fire Island Seashore, Fort Stanwix, Gateway Recreation Area, General Grant Memorial, Govenors Island, Hamilton Grange Memorial, Harriet Tubman Park, Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Martin Van Buren Historic Site, National Parks of New York Harbor, North Country Trail, Sagamore Hill, St. Paul’s Church, Saratoga Park, Statue of Liberty, Stonewall Monument, Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Site, Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, Thomas Cole Historic Site, Upper Delaware River, Vanderbilt Mansion, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Trail, Women’s Rights Park
Visitors To National Sites: 1.3 million
Other National Sites To Explore: Chickasaw Recreation Area, Fort Smith, Oklahoma City National Memorial, Santa Fe National Trail, Trail of Tears, Washita Battlefield Site
Visitors To National Sites: 5.5 million
Other National Sites To Explore:Allegheny Portage Railroad, Appalachian Trail, Captain John Smith Chesapeake Trail, Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Water Gap, Edgar Allen Poe Historic Site, Eisenhower Historic Site, First State Park, Flight 93 Memorial, Fort Necessity, Friendship Hill, Gettysburg, Gloria Dei Church, Hopewell Furnace, Independence Park, Johnstown Flood Memorial, Lewis & Clark Trail, Lower Delaware River, North Country Trail, Potomac Heritage Trail, Steamtown, Thaddeus Kosciuszko Memorial, Upper Delaware River, Valley Forge, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Trail
Visitors To National Sites: 13,900
Other National Sites To Explore: Blackstone River Valley Park, Roger Williams Memorial, Touro Synagogue Site, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Trail
Visitors To National Sites: 23,500
Other National Sites To Explore: Appalachian National Trail, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Park, North Country National Trail
Visitors To National Sites: 618,000
Other National Sites To Explore: Apostle Islands Lakeshore, Ice Age Scenic Trail, North Country Scenic Trail, St. Croix Scenic Riverway
A national park is what we all generally think of when talking about the parks service (the list of 63 below). What people sometimes forget is the National Parks Service (NPS) actually manages over 400 national sites. Many of us want to visit the parks because they have the most to do amd see. However, these other sites carry significance in our country’s history as well as its preservation.
According to the NPS, a national park covers large areas of land and water to protect a variety of resources for present and future visitors.
The other sites all have different goals as well, for example, a national monument is designated to “protect one specific resource that lacks the same diversity as a park”. Whereas a national lakeshore is meant to “protect the shoreline while providing water-oriented recreation to visitors.”
These sites will also protect historically significant areas, such as national battlefields or national memorials to commemorate people or an event.
It’s important to note these differences because even though some states don’t have a national park, they still have very important national sites with significance. These sites have also provided us with some great hikes over the years.
Acadia National Park
Arches National Park
Badlands National Park
Big Bend National Park
Biscayne National Park
Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Channel Islands National Park
Congaree National Park
Crater Lake National Park
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Denali National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
Everglades National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Gates Of The Arctic National Park
Gateway Arch National Park
Glacier National Park
Glacier Bay National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Great Basin National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Haleakala National Park
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Hot Springs National Park
Indiana Dunes National Park
Isle Royale National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Katmai National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Kobuk Valley National Park
Lake Clark National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
National Park Of American Samoa
New River Gorge National Park
North Cascades National Park
Olympic National Park
Petrified Forest National Park
Pinnacles National Park
Redwood National Park
Saguaro National Park
Sequoia National Park
Shenandoah National Park
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Virgin Islands National Park
Voyageurs National Park
White Sands National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National Park
Zion National Park
How many national parks are in the U.S?
There are 63 national parks in the U.S.
How many national park service sites are there in the U.S.?
There are 424 national park sites in the U.S.
What state has the most national parks?
California has the most with nine national parks.
What’s the most visited national park?
Great Smoky Mountains is the busiest park with 14 million visitors in 2022.
What’s the least visited national park?
National Park of American Samoa had the least number of visitors in 2022 with 1,887. Gates of the Arctic was second with 9,457.
What’s the largest national park?
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the largest at 8.3 million acres, 13.2 million (20,625 square miles) including all of the land within the park and preserve.
What is the first national park?
Yellowstone is the first national park, established in 1872. Check out the order of creation for all national parks.
National parks have some of the best hikes in the United States; however, there’s many states that don’t have one. Don’t let this stop you from visiting these states and experiencing different types of hikes. Some of my best adventures have been in these states listed and on trails that don’t fall within a national park boundary. I urge you to explore these sites, you’ll either find some great hikes or historically significant places. Stay tuned for guides on some of them!