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There are 63 national parks in the United States, which are protected places authorized by Congress and managed by the National Park Service, a division of the Interior Department. National parks are established "because of some notable aesthetic feature or natural phenomenon," generally for their "natural beauty, distinctive geological characteristics, diversified ecosystems, and recreational possibilities." Even though all of the National Park System's units are legally equal and have the same objective, national parks tend to be larger and more popular tourist destinations, and hunting and other extractive activities are outlawed. On the other hand, national monuments are typically safeguarded due to their historical or archaeological importance.

A national preserve joins eight national parks (six in Alaska). These protected areas, which have varying degrees of administration but are nevertheless regarded as independent units, are not included in the following maps. Although most of the National Park System's 424 units have other official names, they may all be generically referred to as national parks.

• ACADIA NATIONAL PARK: 

Southwest of Bar Harbor, near the middle of the Maine coast, is where you'll find Acadia National Park. The park protects a piece of Isle au Haut, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, the majority of Mount Desert Island, nearly half of Mount Desert Island, and 16 smaller surrounding islands. The tallest mountains along the Atlantic coast are included in the rocky headlands' natural beauty protection. Acadia is distinguished by its glaciated coastline and island terrain, diversity of species, pure air and water, and extensive cultural history.

• NATIONAL PARK OF AMERICAN SAMOA:

On three islands—Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta'—in the American Samoa territory of the United States, there is a national park called the National Park of American Samoa. The park preserves and protects coral reefs, tropical rainforests, fruit bats, and Samoan culture. Hiking and snorkeling are two popular pastimes. 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) of the park's 8,257 acres (3,341 ha) comprise coral reefs and the ocean. Just this park lies south of the equator in the American National Park Service system.

• ARCHES NATIONAL PARK:

Eastern Utah in the United States is home to the national park known as Arches. The park is four miles (six kilometers) north of Moab, Utah, next to the Colorado River. The park has over 2,000 naturally occurring sandstone arches, including the well-known Delicate Arch and several unusual geological features and formations. The park has the largest concentration of natural arches in the world.

The Colorado Plateau's 310.31 square kilometers (76,680 acres; 119.81 sq mi; 31,031 ha) park is an entire high desert. Elephant Butte in the park has a height of 5,653 feet (1,723 m). Still, the visitor center is located at a lower elevation of 4,085 feet (1,245 m).

• BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK:

Southwest South Dakota is home to the US national park, Badlands National Park. The park preserves the biggest unspoiled mixed grass prairie in the United States, with 242,756 acres (379.3 sq mi; 982.4 km2) of steeply eroded buttes and pinnacles. The National Park Service and the Oglala Lakota tribe jointly maintain the park's South Unit. The North Unit of the park's Badlands Wilderness is protected as a wilderness area and covers 64,144 acres (100.2 sq mi; 259.6 km2). It is also one of the locations where the black-footed ferret, one of the most endangered species in the world, was successfully reintroduced to the wild.

• CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK:

American national park Carlsbad Caverns National Park is in southeast New Mexico's Guadalupe Mountains. The park's display cave, Carlsbad Cavern, is its main draw. Visitors may reach the cave's natural entrance on foot, or they can use an elevator from the tourist center. Eighteen miles southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico, on US Highway 62/180, you'll find the park entrance. Junior Rangers is a program that Carlsbad Caverns National Park participates in. The Caverns Historic District and the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District are two of the park's listings on the National Register of Historic Places. The ecosystem won't be altered in the future because almost two-thirds of the park has been designated as a wilderness area.