America's world-famous National Park Service (NPS) features virtually every type of park and preserve a dedicated traveler could ask for. From instantly recognizable wonders like the Grand Canyon to unheard-of national parks like Big Bend that may be even better than the Grand Canyon , the NPS's 63 national parks and countless national park sites contain endless wonders known and unknown.
The United States' national parks represent a slice of virtually everything that makes the country stand out. This includes the small yet historic Gateway Arch National Park in the heart of St. Louis and the vast Alaskan wilderness of Gates of the Arctic — America's loneliest national park . In short, you can spend years embarking on national park trips across the U.S. and still have abundant w