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National Park Bucket List
Parks from Maine to Hawai'i, each with the one detail worth knowing before you book.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
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Sixty-three. That is how many national parks the US has now, per Renee Roaming, who visited every park that existed in 2017. It is a list you can finish: Wandering Educators says Linda Mohammad has crossed off all 63, and is now more than halfway through the 420-plus National Park Service units. Not everyone can fit them all into one trip, so this list picks twenty, from Maine to the Florida Keys. Check each park's official page for seasons, closures and reservations before you book.
Why these items are on the list
- Yellowstone National Park. Established 1872 as America's first national park, per Wells Fargo Advisors. Renee Roaming suggests May or September for quieter visits.
- Grand Teton. Alpine lakes with bison, pronghorn and elk. Olivia says Jackson Hole is close for yummy post-hike food.
- Arches National Park. Renee Roaming counts 2,000 stone arches. Her tip: arrive before 8 am or after 3 pm, March to October.
- Acadia National Park. BRANWYN: Cadillac Mountain is the East Coast's highest peak, and dogs are allowed. Renee Roaming advises at least two days.
- Hot Springs. Renee Roaming counts 47 thermal springs and two indoor bathhouses. Fewer people visit in winter.
- Yosemite National Park. Renee Roaming puts it at 1,200 square miles of waterfalls, sequoias, valleys and meadows.
- Olympic National Park. A moss-draped rainforest, glaciated peaks and a rugged Washington coast, all in one park.
- Big Bend. Far-west Texas: Chisos Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert and Santa Elena Canyon. Beth says the best stars of her life.
- Glacier National Park. BRANWYN lists 1,583 square miles of wilderness with grizzly bears and mountain goats near the Canadian border.
- Capitol Reef. Red sandstone domes and canyons. Shelby feels it's often forgotten but deserves all the recognition.
- Badlands National Park. Grasslands over fossil beds where prehistoric rhinos and saber-tooth cats once roamed.
- Carlsbad Caverns. BRANWYN counts more than 100 caves in an underground world beneath the Chihuahuan Desert.
- Everglades National Park. BRANWYN calls it the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. BRANWYN also puts it at 1.5 million acres of wetlands.
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The Gunnison River cuts through Pre-Cambrian rock. Mikayla calls the sunset view incredible.
- Mammoth Cave. Wells Fargo Advisors cites 400-plus surveyed miles of the world's longest cave system, with tours of one to six hours.
- Dry Tortugas. Wells Fargo Advisors says 70 miles west of Key West, by ferry or seaplane. Fort Jefferson is at its heart.
- Petrified Forest. Wells Fargo Advisors: open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Arizona skips Daylight Saving Time, so set your watch.
- Theodore Roosevelt. Dark skies and prairie dog towns that bark and yelp. Wells Fargo Advisors lists 100 miles of trails.
- Gateway Arch. Smallest park at 193 acres, says Wells Fargo Advisors, and its arch is 630 feet tall and wide.
- Hawai'i Volcanoes. Linda Mohammad warns eruptions can stop without notice for months, so check current conditions before you fly.
- Collect passport stamps. Mohammad mentions a passport stamp you can get at the park's visitor center. A good excuse to go inside.
- Check fee-free days. Wells Fargo Advisors' 2026 list includes Veterans Day on November 11 among its free-entry dates.
Think of it as a scoreboard with no deadline. Tick parks as you visit them and the rest wait patiently.
When to use it
Pull it out when you are picking next year's trip, or when a long weekend leaves you one park to choose.