The Official Units of the National Park System of the United States is the collection of physical properties owned or administered by the National Park Service.
As of December 2023, there are 428 official units of the National Park System;[1] however, this number can be misleading. For example, Denali National Park and Preserve are counted as two units, since the same name applies to a national park and an adjacent national preserve. Yet Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is counted as one unit, despite its double designation. Counting methodology is rooted in the language of a park's enabling legislation. Furthermore, the NPS contributes resources to "affiliated areas" which do not fall under its administration, and these do not count toward the official list number. An example is Oklahoma City National Memorial.
These units are a subset of the areas in the United States National Park System, and nearly all participate in the national park passport stamps program. National Park System units are found in all 50 states, in the District of Columbia, and in the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. (The territory of the Northern Mariana Islands has an affiliated area but not an official NPS unit.)
| Type | Number |
|---|---|
| National Park (List of national parks of the United States) | 63 |
| National Monument (List of national monuments of the United States) | 84 |
| National Preserve | 19 |
| National Historical Park | 63 |
| National Historic Site | 74 |
| International Historic Site | 1 |
| National Battlefield Park | 4 |
| National Military Park | 9 |
| National Battlefield | 11 |
| National Battlefield Site | 1 |
| National Memorial (List of national memorials of the United States) | 31 |
| National Recreation Area | 18 |
| National Seashore (List of United States national lakeshores and seashores) | 10 |
| National Lakeshore (List of United States national lakeshores and seashores) | 3 |
| National River | 14 |
| National Reserve | 2 |
| National Parkway | 4 |
| National Trail | 6 |
| Other | 11 |
| Total | 428 |
Bold indicates national parks.
See also
- List of areas in the United States National Park System
- List of fee areas in the United States National Park System
- List of all national parks of the world
- List of U.S. state parks
- National Park Passport Stamps
- National Park Travelers Club
| Topics | |
|---|---|
| Lists by state |
|
| Lists by insular areas | |
| Lists by associated state | |
| Other areas | |
| Related | |
References
- ↑ "National Park System (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
- The National Parks: Index 2012-2016 - Official Index of the National Park Service
- National Park Service Index:Addendum (2016-2017) - Official Index updated June 2017
External links
- National Park Service
- National Park System Units by type
- Former National Park System Units: An Analysis
- The 417 NPS units, by classification. List from NPS, January 2017
- NPS Publications
