The 5 Newest National Parks: Where They Are and When to Visit Them

In December 2020, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Fayetteville, West Virginia became America’s newest national park.

Established by the US Congress and maintained by the National Park Service, the nation’s 63 national parks are protected areas of national significance, representing diverse ecosystems of outstanding natural beauty.

They have been set aside for everyone to enjoy and are subject to different rules and regulations than other types of public land.

National parks encompass all types of terrain, including mountains, valleys, deserts, wilderness – even volcanoes. And while you may already be familiar with some of the country’s most popular national parks (like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and the Great Smoky Mountains), the five newest national parks, established between 2013 and 2020, are just as spectacular – and definitely worth a visit.

Related: 6 National Parks Outside the US to Add to Your Bucket List

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia.

Tetra Images; Getty Images

What are the 5 newest national parks?

The country’s newest national parks stretch from sea to shining sea. Here they are from most recent to least:

1. New River Gorge National Park

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• State: West Virginia
• Established: December 27, 2020
• Best time to visit: Autumn

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Known for its deep canyons and rugged, whitewater river, America’s newest national park—the New River Gorge—is easily accessible from Interstates I-64 and I-79 and encompasses 70,000 acres of forested, mountainous terrain and waterfalls.

Trails wind through old mining towns that tell the story of Appalachia. Visitors can enjoy a variety of activities including hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, world-class rafting and tubing on the New River.

Home to white-tailed deer, black bears, snakes, turtles, salamanders, bald eagles, and peregrine falcons, the park is quite busy in the summer, but experiences a more leisurely pace in the fall, when the changing leaves create stunning scenery. .

Don’t miss the park’s most iconic landmark—a mile-long steel arch bridge spanning the New River; it’s the longest in the Western Hemisphere and can be seen from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center—there’s even a wheelchair-accessible viewing deck that, on clear days, offers a deep look into the canyon.

The desolate landscape of White Sands National Park is a beautiful scene at any time of the year.

Peter Unger; Getty Images

2. White Sands National Park

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• State: New Mexico
• Established: December 20, 2019
• Best time to visit: Spring or autumn

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Located in the Tularosa Basin of southern New Mexico, the otherworldly landscape of White Sands positively shimmers with every gust of wind as nearly three hundred square miles of white gypsum dunes shift to spectacular effect. The best time to visit the area is at sunrise or sunset, when the dunes turn bold shades of red and orange.

Even in this harsh environment, you will find that life abounds – if you know where to find it. The park is home to rabbits, bobcats, frogs, salamanders, rattlesnakes, lizards and box turtles, even species of white animals that have evolved to blend in with the desert.

Visitors can explore the rugged landscape themselves on foot, on a ranger-led hike, or even backcountry camping. The park extends its hours during the summer full moon and offers free live music and art performances in its amphitheater.

But perhaps the coolest way to experience the dunes is to sled down them: you can pack your own sled, or for about $25 (or $15 used), you can purchase a plastic plate from the visitor center.

Indiana Dunes National Park is a popular day trip from Chicago.

Jon Lauriat; Getty Images

3. Indiana Dunes National Park

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• State: Indian
• Established: February 15, 2019
• Best time to visit: Spring or autumn

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Less than an hour’s drive from Chicago, Indiana Dunes sits on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world.

More suburban than other wilderness areas, Indiana Dunes has 15 miles of coastline and 50 miles of trails that traverse a range of habitats, including forests, wetlands and wildflower meadows.

Spring and fall are the best times to visit to avoid the crowds – over two million visitors enjoy this park each year, rivaling Yosemite in popularity.

Activities include hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, swimming, and fishing on the lake or along the Calumet River, but the park is best known for its bird-watching opportunities, as the area is an important resting place for more than 350 people. migratory bird species.

One of the country’s newest national parks is located in the city of St. Louis, Missouri.

Ron and Patty Thomas; Getty Images

4. Gateway Arch National Park

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• State: Missouri
• Established: February 22, 2018
• Best time to visit: Winter

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Along the Mississippi River in the heart of St. Louis, Gateway Arch is a 91-acre urban park that features the iconic Gateway Arch (the park’s namesake), which was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1965 to symbolize the “Gateway to the West. .”

The grounds also include the Old Courthouse, where the pivotal Dred Scott slavery trials took place before the Civil War, and a museum with exhibits detailing the history of American westward expansion. For a unique perspective of the famous Arch, you can hop aboard a riverboat cruise that also departs from the park.

But the park’s most popular attraction is the Arch itself—visitors can walk right to the top of the 630-foot Arch via a 4-minute tram ride ($15 for adults). The viewing area at the top offers panoramic views of downtown and the Mississippi River.

Winter is the best time to visit as the weather is mild and there is usually little or no wait to take the tram to the top of the arch.

Explorers love the rugged geology of Pinnacles National Park.

Yiming Chen, Getty Images

5. Pinnacles National Park

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• State: California
• Established: January 10, 2013
• Best time to visit: Anytime except summer

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Less than 100 miles from San Francisco and west of the San Andreas Fault, the land that makes up Pinnacles NP was formed from the remains of ancient volcanoes millions of years ago and continues to be shaped by tectonic forces.

In this landscape of chaparral and canyons, visitors can explore amazing geological wonders, including rock formations and hidden caves. Camping, hiking and climbing grounds are especially popular, as is stargazing among its exceptionally clear skies.

Bird watchers won’t want to miss the Condor Gulch Trail, where 200 species of birds can be seen soaring above the cliffs, from condors to prairie hawks, swallows and even golden eagles.

With the extreme summer heat—temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit in summer in July and August—visiting the park in the fall, winter, or spring months is recommended.

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A Brief History of America’s National Parks

The National Park Service was established by the Organic Act of 1916, although the country’s first national park, Yellowstone, was established nearly half a century earlier, in 1872.

Through writing, painting, and photography, conservationists such as John Muir, Nathaniel P. Langford, and Thomas Moran, among others, raised public awareness of these stunning areas to protect them from development in the 19th century. Between 1901 and 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside 230 million acres of public lands that would later be designated as national parks, including:

• Crater Lake National Park in Oregon
• Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota
• Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado

In 1983, writer Wallace Stegner called the concept of National Parks “America’s best idea” because they were inclusive spaces that unified people from all walks of life—something everyone could be proud of.

“National parks are the best idea I’ve ever had. Thoroughly American, thoroughly democratic, they reflect our best rather than our worst.”

—Wallace Stegner, 1983

Related: People Don’t Come to This National Park (Here’s Why)

A map of the national parks of the United States

Here’s a comprehensive look at America’s national parks:

A map of all 63 national park locations in the United States.

Rainer Lesniewski; Getty Images

List of America’s national parks by state

Thirty states and two US territories have national parks. California is the state with the most national parks – nine.

Alaska

• Denali, Alaska
• Gates of the Arctic, Alaska
• Glacier Bay, Alaska
• Katmai, Alaska
• Kenai Fjords, Alaska
• Kobuk Valley, Alaska
• Lake Clark, Alaska
• Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska

American Samoa

• American Samoa National Park, American Samoa

Arizona

• Grand Canyon, Arizona
• Petrified Forest, Arizona
• Saguaro, Arizona

Arkansas

• Hot Springs, Arkansas

California

• Channel Islands, California
• Death Valley, California and Nevada
• Joshua Tree, California
• Kings Canyon, California
• Lassen Volcanic, California
• Pinnacles, California
• Redwood, California
• Sequoia, California
• Yosemite, California

COLORADO

• Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado
• Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
• Mesa Verde, Colorado
• Rocky Mountain, Colorado

Florida

• Biscayne, Florida
• Dry Tortugas, Florida
• Everglades, Florida

Hawaii

• Haleakala, Hawaii
• |Hawaii Volcanoes, Hawaii

Idaho

• Yellowstone, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming

Kentucky

• Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

Indian

• The Dunes of Indiana

Tomorrow

• Acadia, Maine

Michigan

• Isle Royale, Michigan

Minnesota

• Voyageurs, Minnesota

Missouri

• Gateway Arch, Missouri

mountain

• Glacier, Montana
• Yellowstone, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming

Nevada

• Death Valley, California and Nevada
• Great Basin, Nevada

New Mexico

• Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
• White Sands, New Mexico

North Dakota

• Theodore Roosevelt, North Dakota

North Carolina

• Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina and Tennessee

Ohio

• Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio

Oregon

• Crater Lake, Oregon

South Carolina

• Congaree, South Carolina

South Dakota

• Badlands, South Dakota
• Wind Cave, South Dakota

Tennessee

• Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina and Tennessee

Texas

• Big Bend, Texas
• Guadalupe Mountains, Texas

Utah

• Arches, Utah
• Bryce Canyon, Utah
• Canyonlands, Utah
• Capitol Reef, Utah
• Zion, Utah

Virgin Islands

• Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands

virgin

• Shenandoah, Virginia

Washington

• Mount Rainier, Washington
• North Cascades, Washington
• Olympic, Washington

West Virginia

• New River Gorge, West Virginia

Wyoming

• Grand Teton, Wyoming
• Yellowstone

Source: Excursions in the National Park

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