Some of the most difficult national parks to get to call these locations home. However, you won’t be disappointed if you get a chance to visit any of these 12 amazing national parks located in Alaska, Hawaii, or the US Territories. Volcanoes, Glaciers, mountain ranges, and more can be found within these national parks.
Unless you leave close to one of these national parks, it will take a lot of planning to get to them. Some are above the artic circle. While others are located hundreds of miles away from a major city or even smaller towns. However, the reward is amazing.
Below you will find 12 Different national parks. Most can be found in Alaska. While others can be found in the middle of the ocean. How many have you visited?
American Samoa
American Samoa National Park is located in the South Pacific on the Samoan Islands. This national park has white sand beaches, volcanic mountains, rainforests, and coral reefs. The island is located northwest of Fiji and Australia making it very difficult to do a quick weekend trip. However, if you do manage to get out here you will be rewarded with scenery you will not find in the states.
American Samoa National Park is home to the Flying fox. It was one of the reasons for the creation of the national park here. The flying fox is also on the 2020 American quarter. The islands are also home to brown boobies, which are large seabirds. It is also not uncommon to see sea turtles or the occasional humpback whale.
FOUND: 10/31/1988
LOCATION: American Samoa
AREA: 8,256 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, snorkeling
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Denali
Denali National Park is one of the parks located in Alaska. It is home to the tallest mountain in North America and only has a single road in the park leading to Wonder Lake. Denali National Park and the surrounding preserve makes up over 6,000,000 acres. This is larger than the state of New Hampshire.
This national park is massive. The big draw here is the vast openness of the park. There is only one road in the park however, that road is 92 miles long. Of those 92 miles only 15 miles are paved due to the freeze-thaw cycle and permafrost. Also private vehicles can only go so far onto the road.
FOUND: 02/26/1917
LOCATION: Alaska
AREA: 4,740,911 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, camping
TIME TO VISIT: Alaskan Summer? So like 10 days…. Just kidding
Gates of the Arctic
Gates of the Arctic National Park is located in Alaska. This northernmost national park is home to Alaska Natives. This park also has no park facilities.
There are no official trails and no roads. This really is a remote national park. In fact, the entire national park is located north of the Arctic Circle. A couple months out of the year the park can have no daytime or nighttime depending on when you visit. In the winter it is not uncommon to see the northern lights.
FOUND: 12/02/1980
LOCATION: Alaska
AREA: 7,523,897 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Glacier Bay
Glacier Bay National Park is another park that can be found in Alaska. When first discovered in 1794 the entire bay was covered in ice. Now the glaciers have receded by more than 65 miles. However, not all the glaciers in the park are receding. Some are even advancing.
Most visitors arrive at Glacier Bay National Park by cruise ship. Popular activities include camping, mountaineering, kayaking, bird-watching, and hiking. It is an outdoor lover’s paradise.
FOUND: 12/02/1980
LOCATION: Alaska
AREA: 3,223,383 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, kayaking, fishing, camping
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Haleakalā
Haleakala National Park located on the island of Maui in Hawaii is a very important national park. This national park protects the greatest number of endangered species within any US national park. The word Haleakalā in Hawaiian means house of the sun.
Local legend says that the demigod Maui imprisoned the sun here. That’s gotta be one of the coolest stories of any US National Park.
Getting to the summit there is a well maintained but winding road that gives you amazing views of sunrise or sunset. This is because it is above the tropical inversion layer. This gives you extremely clear skies. This also is an amazing location to do some astrophotography and stargazing.
FOUND: 07/01/1961
LOCATION: Hawaii
AREA: 33,264 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, sunset/sunrise, stargazing
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Hawaii Volcanoes
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is located, as you would guess it, in Hawaii. Also as you would expect the main draw for this national park are the volcanoes, which are two of the most active in the world.
A big draw for visitors here are the active volcanoes. Just be aware that the park and surrounding park roads have closed from time to time due to volcanic activity.
FOUND: 08/01/1916
LOCATION: Hawaii
AREA: 325,605 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, volcano viewing
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Katmai
Katmai National Park can be found in Alaska. This national park is over 3 million acres and protects the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. This is also the location of the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century when Mount Katmai erupted on June 6, 1912.
Katmai National Park is home to around 18 volcanoes and seven have been active since 1900. This national park is just home to active and dormant volcanoes. There is also a large protected brown bear population. In fact it is the largest one in the world. The months of July and September are the best for viewing them.
FOUND: 12/02/1980
LOCATION: Alaska
AREA: 3,674,529 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, bear viewing, camping
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Kenai Fjords
Kenai Fjords National Park is yet another national park found in Alaska. It is named after the many fjords (long, narrow inlet with steep cliffs created by glaciers). It is the smallest National Park in Alaska but is still massive at over 600,000 acres.
Only one area is reachable by the public by road. Otherwise, you will have to take kayak and boat tours. Kenai Fjords National Park is also a popular stopping point for cruise ships.
FOUND: 12/02/1980
LOCATION: Alaska
AREA: 669,650 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, kayaking, fishing
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Kobuk Valley
Alaska’s Kobuk Valley National Park is home to the largest sand dunes in the Arctic. What makes this national park even more unique is the fact it lies 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
There are no official roads or trails in Kobuk Valley National Park. You can get here by air taxi from one of the nearby cities. Just remember you have to bring all of your own gear for hiking, backpacking, and even camping. If you are going to make a visit to this remote park, try to plan your visit when around half a million caribou do their migration.
A few things to note about visiting sites above the Arctic Circle. The sun does not set between June 3rd and July 9th at Kobuk Valley. From December 16th to the 26th there is less than an hour of sunlight.
FOUND: 12/02/1980
LOCATION: Alaska
AREA: 1,750,716 acres
THINGS TO DO: Backpacking, Dog sledding, hiking, camping
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Lake Clark
Lake Clark National Park is found in southwest Alaska. The nearest city is Anchorage however, this park is not accessible by road. You have to take a boat or air taxi to get here.
Lake Clark national park is home to four, yes four, active volcanoes. Mount Redoubt which towers 10,197 feet in elevation, is one of the active volcanoes. It last erupted in 2009.
FOUND: 12/02/1980
LOCATION: Alaska
AREA: 2,619,816 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, boating,
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands National Park is located in the Atlantic ocean on the US Virgin Islands. This park preserves mangrove forests, coral reefs, seagrass beds, and sandy beaches. There are also a few historic sites that you can visit.
The ruins of an old sugar factory are found within Virgin Islands National Park. Also there are several historic ruins from the colonial era.
FOUND: 08/02/1956
LOCATION: U.S. Virgin Islands
AREA: 15,052 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, snorkeling, camping
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Wrangell-St. Elias
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park can be found in Southeast Alaska. This is the largest national park covering over 8.3 million acres. It is so big that the 47 smaller national parks combined do not cover a larger area. Remember there are only 63 national parks currently.
Glaciers, mountains, and volcanoes can all be found in this national park. St. Elias Mountains contain most of the highest peaks in the US or Canada. Out of the 70 tallest mountains in Alaska, Wrangell-St Elias National Park has 35 of them. This includes seven of the ten top peaks. This makes it a popular location for mountain climbing. However, the peaks require time to get out to, through dangerous and remote terrain. The park as a whole has very few maintained trails.
FOUND: 12/02/1980
LOCATION: Alaska
AREA: 8,323,146 acres
THINGS TO DO: Hiking, hunting, mountain climbing, backcountry camping
TIME TO VISIT: Year round
Have you visited any of these amazing locations? If so, how many have you seen? Which one was your favorite National Park that you visited? Let us know in the comments below.
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If you are planning on checking out all or any of these amazing places be sure to pick up a National Parks Passport. You can get your passport stamped at all the different locations within the National park system. Places like Gettysburg, Washington, DC, Independence Hall, Everglades NP, and so much more.
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