We’re all well aware of the fact that our country’s national parks are amazing places. They do a wonderful job protecting the beautiful natural areas that make the US incredible while also preserving history and culture that might otherwise be lost to time.
The thing many people don’t realize? Just how many secrets these beautiful places hold in their mountains, caves, and canyons.
In this article we will share one amazing fact about each of the United States’ 63 national parks. We hope these national park facts inspire you to dig deeper, visit these parks for yourself, and learn even more about the secrets hidden there.
Acadia National Park
Maine
Acadia National Park is not just one of the most beautiful places in the eastern US, it’s also a park full of firsts. You see, this was the first park to be established east of the Mississippi River and was also the first national park to be established on land that was donated to the federal government.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Acadia National Park Guide!
Arches National Park
Utah
As you might have guessed, Arches National Park is home to some amazing arch rock formations. What you might not have guessed is that there are a total of 2,000 documented arches in this park. How cool is that?
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Arches National Park Guide!
Badlands National Park
South Dakota
Most people visit Badlands National Park to take in the strange and beautiful scenery the park has to offer. Not many realize that it’s also home to the largest known cluster of mammal fossils from the late Eocene and Oligocene periods.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Badlands National Park Guide!
Big Bend National Park
Texas
Big Bend is a visually stunning place with some great opportunities for hiking and kayaking. Believe it or not, it’s also a place of healing. People used to visit the park to soak in the hot springs in the onsite bathhouse. Today, the bathhouse no longer exists, but visitors are still welcome to soak in the 105-degree (°F) springs.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Big Bend National Park Guide!
Biscayne National Park
Florida
Biscayne is an interesting park because almost the entire park is ocean. Another interesting thing about this place is that 44 shipwrecks have been documented within the park, some dating back to the 1500s!
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Biscayne National Park Guide!
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Colorado
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is named not for the color of its rocks, but for the lack of daylight at the bottom of the canyon. The canyon is so deep that sunlight can only reach the bottom for 33 minutes each day!
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park Guide!
Bryce Canyon National Park
Utah
Something that makes Bryce Canyon stand out are the odd pillar-shaped rock formations called hoo-doos that are scattered throughout the canyon. This park is home to the largest collection of hoo-doos in the world.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Bryce Canyon National Park Guide!
Canyonlands National Park
Utah
Art and history fans will love to learn that Canyonlands National Park is home to some of the most significant rock art in the country. The best pieces? The intricate, life-size figures in the aptly named Great Gallery.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Canyonlands National Park Guide!
Capitol Reef National Park
Utah
Capitol Reef National Park offers plenty of opportunities for the usual national park activities such as hiking and camping. That said, the park also offers an unusual activity. Here, guests can go fruit picking in the many in-park orchards. Just make sure you weigh your fruit at the self-pay station before you dig in!
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Capitol Reef National Park Guide!
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
New Mexico
Caves are mysterious places. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Carlsbad Caverns National Park holds a strange secret in its cave system: There is an underground lunchroom built into one of the caves. Here, employees can enjoy a meal 750 feet below ground!
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Carlsbad Caverns National Park Guide!
Channel Islands National Park
California
Channel Islands National Park is an unusual sort of park that is made up of five islands off the coast of California. These islands are home to endemic plants and plenty of animals. Additionally, the oldest human bones on the continent were found within this park.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Channel Islands National Park Guide!
Congaree National Park
South Carolina
One of the coolest things to do in Congaree National Park is to visit during late May and early June. During this time, thousands of fireflies put on an amazing light show by lighting up simultaneously over and over again.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Congaree National Park Guide!
Crater Lake National Park
Oregon
Crater Lake measures an astounding 1,943 feet deep, making it the deepest lake in the US. Even more incredible, there aren’t any streams or rivers that feed into the lake. Instead, all of the water in this lake comes from snow and rain.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Crater Lake National Park Guide!
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Ohio
Cuyahoga Valley National Park stands out from other national parks because it’s located right in the middle of the city. Busy freeways run through the park and you can hop on a train to check out some of the park’s prettiest sights.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Cuyahoga Valley National Park Guide!
Death Valley National Park
California and Nevada
Most people know that Death Valley National Park is hot, but some may not realize just how hot the place is. This park holds the record for being the hottest place on earth. The hottest recorded temperature in the park was an insane 134 degrees (°F) in 1913.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Death Valley National Park Guide!
Denali National Park
Alaska
Mount Denali is one of the most challenging climbs in the country. Of the 32,000 people who have attempted this two- to four-week climb, only about half have succeeded.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Denali National Park Guide!
Dry Tortugas National Park
Florida
The Dry Tortugas National Park fort known as Fort Jefferson has a lot of interesting history hidden within its walls. One of the more interesting tidbits? The fort served as a prison during the Civil War, and one of the inmates held here was Samuel Mudd, one of the people involved in the assasination of President Lincoln.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Dry Tortugas National Park Guide!
Everglades National Park
Florida
Everglades National Park is a pretty amazing place. This 1.5-million-acre park is home to the biggest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere, and plants and animals are found around every corner.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Everglades National Park Guide!
Gates of the Arctic National Park
Alaska
The least visited of all the national parks, the super remote Gates of the Arctic National Park only saw about 11,000 tourists in the year 2019. This is less than the average number of people who visit the Grand Canyon on any given day.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Gates of the Arctic National Park Guide!
Gateway Arch National Park
Missouri
The Gateway Arch is an interesting piece for sure and it’s history and design is full of great national park facts. One of the most interesting things about it is that the arch is exactly as tall as it is wide, and twice the height of the Statue of Liberty.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Gateway Arch National Park Guide!
Glacier Bay National Park
Alaska
True to its name, Glacier Bay National Park has plenty of glaciers. In fact, glaciers cover about half of the 5,220-square-mile park. For reference, the state of Delaware measures only 2,055 square miles!
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Glacier Bay National Park Guide!
Glacier National Park
Montana
Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta Canada became the world’s first international peace parks when they joined forces in 1932. These days, you can actually cross the international border on park grounds and even get a special mountain stamp in your passport.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Glacier National Park Guide!
Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona
Did you know people live in the base of the Grand Canyon? The Supai Village is home to 208 Native American individuals and is the most remote settlement in the continental United States.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Grand Canyon National Park Guide!
Grand Teton National Park
Wyoming
Obviously, two million years is a long time for us humans, but it’s only the blink of an eye for mountains. Considering the Grand Tetons were formed around two million years ago, this mountain range is actually still quite young when compared to other ranges. In fact, these are some of the youngest mountains on the planet.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Grand Teton National Park Guide!
Great Basin National Park
Nevada
Some of the world’s oldest trees make themselves at home in Great Basin National Park. This place is home to a rare type of pine tree that can survive for more than four millennia. The oldest tree in the park is named Methuselah. It has been standing for 4,765 years!
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Great Basin National Park Guide!
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Colorado
The dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park are the tallest sand dunes in the country. On top of that, the dunes also do a special trick: When an avalanche happens, the dunes actually hum or sing, making a strange and eerie kind of music.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Great Sand Dunes National Park Guide!
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
North Carolina and Tennessee
Do you love salamanders? If so, Great Smoky Mountains National Park might be the place for you. The place is home to more than 30 different species of salamanders and is considered the salamander capital of the world.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Great Smoky Mountains National Park Guide!
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Texas
Located in the Texas panhandle, Guadalupe Mountains National Park is home to nine of the ten highest peaks in Texas. Guadalupe Peak itself is the highest of them all, followed by Bush Mountain and then Shumard Peak.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Guadalupe Mountains National Park Guide!
Haleakala National Park
Hawaii
Haleakala National Park plays host to Hawaii’s first observatory. This observatory sits on the summit of Haleakala and is above one third of earth’s atmosphere, making it one of the most important observatories in the world.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Haleakala National Park Guide!
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii
It’s no secret that Hawaii and volcanoes go hand in hand. Therefore, it just makes sense that Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is home to one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea. This volcano sits right next to Mauna Loa, which just so happens to be the tallest mountain in the world (even taller than Mt. Everest).
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Guide!
Hot Springs National Park
Arkansas
Hot Springs National Park might be a tiny park, but it has a long and interesting history that is riddled with cool national park facts. You see, this park was established as a Hot Springs Reservation back in 1832 and is the oldest protected area under the National Park System.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Hot Springs National Park Guide!
Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana
When you visit Indiana Dunes National Park, you are reminded over and over again that you shouldn’t walk on the dunes. The reason for this? The dunes are a habitat for a whole lot of plants and animals. In fact, more plant and animal species are found in this park than in the entire state of Hawaii.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Indiana Dunes National Park Guide!
Isle Royale National Park
Michigan
Not many people make it to Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park. This is due to its remote location in the middle of Lake Superior. That said, those who do make it to the park stay longer. The average visit to Isle Royale is 3.5 days, compared to the four-hour average visit at most national parks.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Isle Royale National Park Guide!
Joshua Tree National Park
California
Joshua Tree National Park is one of those must-visit places that should be on everyone’s bucket list. The park is full of amazing boulders and rock formations as well as some pretty cool national park facts. Surprisingly, many of these formations have been around for an astounding 1.7 billion years, making them four times older than dinosaurs would be if they were still around.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Joshua Tree National Park Guide!
Katmai National Park
Alaska
Want to see a brown bear? Head to Katmai National Park. There are around 2,200 bears living in the park’s borders, and bears almost certainly outnumber people on this remote Alaskan peninsula.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Katmai National Park Guide!
Kenai Fjords National Park
Alaska
The main attraction at Kenai Fjords National Park? The massive, 700-square-mile Harding Icefield, of course. It would take two marathons to cross this icefield and it is one of the largest icefields in the country.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Kenai Fjords National Park Guide!
Kings Canyon National Park
California
Overshadowed by the neighboring parks, you don’t usually hear much about Kings Canyon National Park. One thing the park does have to stand out from the crowd? The country’s designated Christmas tree. Every Christmas, a special service is held around the 3,500-year-old General Grant Tree, which was designated “Nation’s Christmas Tree” in 1925.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Kings Canyon National Park Guide!
Kobuk Valley National Park
Alaska
Considering where it’s located, it’s easy to imagine why Kobuk Valley National Park is one of the least visited national parks in the country. Because so few people make it to the Kobuk Valley, caribou in the park outnumber visitors to the park 33 to 1.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Kobuk Valley National Park Guide!
Lake Clark National Park
Alaska
Lake Clark National Park is one of only a handful of parks that can’t be reached by car. Instead, visitors must fly to the park in a small plane. There are no roads in the park, meaning it’s about as wild and rugged as it gets.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Lake Clark National Park Guide!
Lassen Volcanic National Park
California
Lassen Peak may not have much to say these days, but between 1914 and 1915, this place saw more than 150 eruptions! The final eruption was a massive explosion that occurred on May 19th, 1915.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Lassen Volcanic National Park Guide!
Mammoth Cave National Park
Kentucky
Another cave with secrets, the aptly named Mammoth Cave is a super special place because it is actually the largest cave system in the world. It stretches for 400 or more miles under 53,000 acres of forest.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Mammoth Cave National Park Guide!
Mesa Verde National Park
Colorado
Mesa Verde is an excellent place to learn about the Pueblo people. The park is home to over 5,000 archaeological sites, including the Cliff Palace cliff dwelling, which is about the same age as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Mesa Verde National Park Guide!
Mount Rainier National Park
Washington
Mount Rainier has had a few different names. One of the strangest was its most recent name change. Before Super Bowl XLVIII, Washington State temporarily renamed Mount Rainier. The name they chose? Mount Seattle Seahawks. This name remained in place until the midnight after the Super Bowl on February 3rd, 2014.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Mount Rainier National Park Guide!
National Park of American Samoa
American Samoa
The National Park of American Samoa is one of the most remote and isolated parks in the United States. Not only that, it’s also the only US national park south of the equator.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare National Park of the American Samoa Guide!
New River Gorge National Park
West Virginia
The first thing many people think of when they think of New River Gorge National Park? The amazing bridge, of course. Some cool national park facts abut the bridge? This is the longest single-arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere and the third longest single-arch bridge in the world.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare New River Gorge National Park Guide!
North Cascades National Park
Washington
Considering how far north you have to go to get there, it probably comes as no surprise to learn that North Cascades National Park is home to the largest number of glaciers of any national park in the contiguous United States. The park boasts a whopping 300+ beautiful, icy glaciers.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare North Cascades National Park Guide!
Olympic National Park
Washington
The Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park is one of the greenest places in the US. All of that greenery doesn’t pop up out of nowhere though. The Hoh Rainforest receives an average of 12 feet of precipitation each year. That’s more than the average precipitation in the Amazon and is definitely the reason for all the greenery.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Olympic National Park Guide!
Petrified Forest National Park
Arizona
One of the best things about Petrified Forest National Park is that Historic Route 66 runs right through it. If you’ve ever wanted to take a road trip down Route 66, be sure to do so in Arizona so you can drive through Petrified Forest while you’re at it.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Petrified Forest National Park Guide!
Pinnacles National Park
California
One of the most unique things about Pinnacles National Park is that you might get a chance to see the endangered California condor. These incredible birds have a 10-foot wingspan. That’s about the length of a compact car!
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Pinnacles National Park Guide!
Redwood National Park
California
At Redwood National Park you will have the opportunity to walk among some of the largest and oldest trees on earth. In fact, this park is home to the biggest remaining contiguous old-growth coastal redwood forest on the planet.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Redwood National Park Guide!
Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado
The Rocky Mountains inspired sisters Esther and Elizabeth Burnell to study up and become the first ever female naturalists through the National Park System. Elizabeth became the first woman guide on Longs Peak, ran a nature school for 12 summers, and then moved to Los Angeles to encourage nature study in schools.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Rocky Mountain National Park Guide!
Saguaro National Park
Arizona
The iconic saguaro cactus is synonymous with the American Southwest. That said, if you want to see this cactus in the wilderness, you will need to head to Saguaro National Park. This park and the surrounding Sonoran Desert is the only place in the world where these cacti grow in the wild. (One of our favorite national park facts!)
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Saguaro National Park Guide!
Sequoia National Park
California
Sequoia trees are seriously enormous. Therefore, it only stands to reason that the world’s largest tree would be found in Sequoia National Park. This tree is called the General Sherman’s Tree which soars 275 feet high and measures 36 feet wide at its base.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Sequoia National Park Guide!
Shenandoah National Park
Virginia
Once upon a time, a very important meeting was held in what would one day be Shenandoah National Park. A roadside tavern that once stood in the Blue Ridge Mountains was a meeting spot for future presidents James Madison, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson, who were meeting to make plans for the creation of the University of Virginia.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Shenandoah National Park Guide!
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
North Dakota
While there are plenty of national parks sites named after people, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the only official US national park to be named after a person. This makes sense, considering Roosevelt made such an impact on the national park system.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Theodore Roosevelt National Park Guide!
Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands National Park is home to a different kind of trail. This trail is a 225-yard underwater trail for snorkelers. Along the way, snorkelers can learn about the coral and local marine life.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Virgin Islands National Park Guide!
Voyageurs National Park
Minnesota
Rock formations are pretty cool. Some of the neatest rock formations can be found in Voyageurs National Park. These formations are some of the oldest on earth and are about half the age of planet Earth herself.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Voyageurs National Park Guide!
White Sands National Park
New Mexico
Unlike regular sand, which is made of silica, the sand at White Sands National Park is made up entirely of gypsum. Because gypsum is soluble, rain causes the nearby gypsum mountains to dissolve. The bits of gypsum that break away make their way to the ground below, creating the magical white sand dunes we love to sled.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare White Sands National Park Guide!
Wind Cave National Park
South Dakota
At Wind Cave National Park, you should explore the cave of course, but you should also check out the parts of the park that sit above the ground. In particular, you’ll want to check out the herd of bison that roam the park. These bison are the progeny of a herd of 14 bison that were introduced to the park in 1913.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Wind Cave National Park Guide!
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Alaska
An absolutely enormous place, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park spans over 13.2 million acres, making it the largest national park in the US. It’s so big, one could take the nine smallest states and fit them all inside of this park!
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Guide!
Yellowstone National Park
Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming
Yellowstone National Park’s geothermal features may be beautiful, but they are not a thing to be trifled with. You see, the hot springs in this park are so acidic that they could dissolve a human body overnight.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Yellowstone National Park Guide!
Yosemite National Park
California
If you’re able to visit Yosemite National Park in mid-to-late February, head to Horsetail Fall at golden hour. During this time, the sun hits the waterfall at the perfect angle, making it look more like a stream of lava than a crisp, cold waterfall.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Yosemite National Park Guide!
Zion National Park
Utah
The Hebrew word zion translates to “a place of peace and relaxation.” We have to say, the name is quite fitting for this beautiful and serene natural area.
Learn more about this park in the RVshare Zion National Park Guide!
As you can see, there are always more national park facts to learn, and these aren’t even all of the awesome things that each of these parks is waiting for you to learn. Why not plan a visit to one of these parks so you can uncover more fun national park facts for yourself?
