Visit All US National Parks

This checklist includes the 63 official U.S. sites designated as National Parks by the National Park Service. It does not include other National Park System units such as national monuments, national historic sites, national battlefields, national seashores, national recreation areas, or national preserves unless they are officially designated as National Parks.

This distinction matters because the broader National Park System includes hundreds of sites, while the classic "visit all U.S. national parks" goal usually refers specifically to the 63 official National Parks.

The most visited national park in the U.S. is usually Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. It attracts more visitors than any other U.S. National Park thanks to its mountain scenery, free entrance, easy road access, wildlife, waterfalls, and extensive hiking trails.

Popular things to do include:

• Driving scenic routes such as Cades Cove and Newfound Gap Road.
• Hiking trails to waterfalls, viewpoints, and sections of the Appalachian Trail.
• Watching for wildlife, including black bears, deer, and wild turkeys.
• Visiting historic cabins, churches, and mountain communities.

It is one of the best parks for families, road trippers, hikers, and first-time national park visitors.

Visiting all 63 U.S. National Parks can take anywhere from several months to several years, depending on your pace, budget, route, and how deeply you want to explore each park.

A fast continuous trip may take 3 to 5 months, but that usually means moving quickly and spending limited time in some parks. Many travelers complete the full list over several years because some parks require flights, boats, permits, seasonal timing, or remote travel.

When planning, consider:

• Some parks can be visited in a day, while others deserve several days.
• Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands require extra logistics.
• Weather and seasonal road closures can affect access.
• Popular parks may require advance reservations for lodging, campsites, or timed entry.

For most people, the best approach is to complete the parks by region instead of trying to visit all 63 in one continuous trip.

Start by deciding whether you are planning one park, a regional road trip, or a long-term goal to visit all 63 U.S. National Parks. Then organize your trip around location, season, driving distance, lodging, and the activities you care about most.

A good planning process:

1. Choose a region: Group nearby parks together, such as Utah, California, Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, or the Rocky Mountains.
2. Check the best season: Some parks are best in summer, while others are better in spring or fall.
3. Map your route: Avoid unnecessary backtracking and leave time for scenic drives.
4. Book early: Lodges, campsites, and nearby hotels can sell out months ahead.
5. Check park rules: Some parks require timed entry, shuttle reservations, permits, or seasonal road access.
6. Use a checklist: Track which parks you have visited, add notes, and plan what remains.

A checklist helps you turn a large travel goal into smaller, manageable trips.

The best way to see all U.S. National Parks is usually to visit them by regional clusters rather than trying to do everything in one long route. This reduces wasted driving, improves timing, and lets you enjoy each region properly.

Popular regional groups include:

• Utah Mighty Five: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion.
• California parks: Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Redwood, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, and Channel Islands.
• Alaska parks: Denali, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Lake Clark, Wrangell-St. Elias, Gates of the Arctic, and Kobuk Valley.
• Florida parks: Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas.

For most travelers, the best strategy is to combine road trips for the lower 48 states with separate fly-in trips for Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and the Caribbean parks.

There is no single official public count of how many people have visited all 63 U.S. National Parks. It is a serious travel goal because the parks are spread across the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Many travelers track the goal themselves using checklists, passport stamps, photos, journals, or online communities. Completing all 63 usually requires years of planning, especially because several parks are remote, seasonal, or expensive to reach.

If you are working toward the goal, this checklist can help you mark parks as visited, track what remains, and plan future national park trips.

The total mileage needed to visit all U.S. National Parks depends heavily on your route, starting point, flight choices, ferry connections, and how many side trips you include. A long road trip through the lower 48 parks alone can involve many thousands of miles, and the full 63-park goal requires additional flights or boats for Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.

Important factors include:

• Whether you start and end at the same location.
• Whether you visit parks by region or attempt one continuous route.
• How many scenic detours and nearby attractions you add.
• Whether remote parks are reached by plane, boat, or guided tour.

For practical planning, it is usually better to organize the parks into regional trips rather than focus on one total mileage number.

To visit the most national parks in one trip, choose a region where several parks are close together and plan a loop route that avoids backtracking.

Good regions for seeing multiple parks include:

• Utah: Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion.
• California and Nevada: Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and nearby parks.
• Pacific Northwest: Olympic, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Crater Lake, and Redwood.
• Colorado and nearby states: Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, Great Sand Dunes, and nearby Utah parks.

Tips for maximizing your trip:

1. Build a loop route instead of a straight line.
2. Visit during shoulder season when roads are open but crowds are lower.
3. Book lodging early near popular parks.
4. Separate quick stop parks from parks that deserve multiple days.
5. Leave buffer time for weather, traffic, and road closures.

A checklist makes it easier to track which parks you visited and plan the next cluster.