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The Ultimate National Park Bucket List

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So many of us look abroad when planning our vacations but as this national park bucket list shows, there really is no place like home.

Every single state has some wonderful things to visit that will completely blow you mind.

And there are so many different landscapes and things to visit that you actually might need a lifetime to complete this list.

Of course the best way to see most national parks in the USA is on an old-fashioned road trip. Whether you take the car a la National Lampoon or you hit the RV park, there is plenty to see, as my list below will show you.

national park bucket list

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National Parks Bucket List

Bucket list of US National parks

I’ve arranged this post by State to make it easier to see exactly what you want to see while you are in each place.

This will also make it easy to plan your road-trip if you are crossing the country from East to West.

As it can be a bit overwhelming to do all the National Parks on this bucket list, I’ve also broken it down by the most popular ones that are essential for your National Parks Challenge.

A couple of tips:

Do you have a 4th grader in the family?

Every year, beginning September 1, all kids in the fourth grade have access to their own Every Kid Outdoors pass at www.everykidoutdoors.gov. This pass provides free access to national parks across the country.

The Every Kid Outdoors pass is good for the 4th grade school year, until August 31.

Reservations

If you want to camp or use RV parks at the National Parks (which you likely do), you can make your reservations at the National Park Reservations Official Site. 

No time?

National Parks Bucket List – The Top 10

top 10 National parks to visit

These are the 10 most visited National Parks in 2020 according to The National Park Service.

  1. Great Smokey Mountain National Park
  2. Yellowstone National Park
  3. Zion National Park
  4. Rocky Mountain National Park
  5. Grand Teton National Park
  6. Grand Canyon National Park
  7. Cuyahoga National Park
  8. Acadia National Park
  9. Olympic National Park
  10. Joshua Tree National Park

National Parks Bucket List By State

Read on for the ultimate national park bucket list by state to make it easy to plan your USA road trip.

Alaska

  • Denali National Park and Preserve
  • Gates of the Arctic National Park
  • Glacier Bay National Park
  • Katmai National Park and Preserve
  • Kenai Fjords National Park
  • Kobuk Valley National Park
  • Lake Clark National Park
  • Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve

Arizona

  • Grand Canyon National Park
  • Petrified Forest National Park
  • Saguaro National Park

Arkansas

  • Hot Springs National Park

national park bucket list

California

  • Channel Islands National Park
  • Death Valley National Park
  • Joshua Tree National Park
  • Kings Canyon National Park
  • Lassen Volcanic National Park
  • Pinnacles National Park
  • Redwood National Park
  • Sequoia National Park
  • Yosemite National Park

Colorado

  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
  • Mesa Verde National Park
  • Rocky Mountain National Park

Florida

  • Biscayne National Park
  • Dry Tortugas National Park
  • Everglades National Park

Hawaii

  • Haleakala National Park
  • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Indiana

  • Indiana Dunes National Park

Kentucky

  • Kentucky National Parks
  • Mammoth Cave National Park

Maine

  • Acadia National Park

Michigan

  • Isle Royale National Park

Minnesota

  • Voyageurs National Park

Missouri

  • Gateway Arch National Park

Montana

  • Glacier National Park

glacier national park

Nevada

  • Great Basin National Park

New Mexico

  • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
  • White Sands National Park

North Carolina

  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park

North Dakota

  • Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Ohio

  • Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Oregon

  • Crater Lake National Park

South Carolina

  • Congaree National Park

South Dakota

  • Badlands National Park
  • Wind Cave National Park

Badlands in South Dakota - National Parks Bucket list

Tennessee

  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Texas

  • Big Bend National Park
  • Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Utah

  • Arches National Park
  • Bryce Canyon National Park
  • Canyonlands National Park
  • Capitol Reef National Park
  • Zion National Park

Virginia

  • Shenandoah National Park

Washington

  • Mount Rainier National Park
  • North Cascades National Park
  • Olympic National Park

West Virginia

  • New River Gorge National Park

Wyoming

  • Grand Teton National Park
  • Yellowstone National Park

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The ultimate national park bucket list