How many national parks are in Alaska?

8: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Denali National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve and Kobuk Valley National Park. Alaska also has 11 other National Park Service sites, such as Alagnak Wild River and Alaska Public Lands.

What is the most visited national park in Alaska?

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, with 740,044 recreation visits in 2025, #32 of the 63 national parks. The least visited in Alaska was Kobuk Valley (7,786).

What is the newest national park in Alaska?

Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve, established on December 2, 1980. The oldest is Denali National Park & Preserve (1917).

Do national parks in Alaska charge an entrance fee?

Headline entrance fees run free to $15 per person. Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark and Wrangell–St. Elias have no entrance fee. An America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees.

What is the closest national park to Anchorage?

Kenai Fjords National Park, about 98 miles from Anchorage in a straight line, roughly 2 h 20 min by road on our estimate (straight-line miles × 1.3 at 55 mph, not a route). Anchorage is Alaska's largest city.

Alaska · 8 national parks · 11 other NPS sites

National parks in Alaska

Last verified October 1, 2026Sources ↓

Alaska has 8 national parks: Glacier Bay, Denali, Kenai Fjords, Wrangell–St. Elias, Katmai, Lake Clark, Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley. 11 more National Park Service sites round out the map, from Alagnak Wild River to Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve.

Numbered by 2025 visits. ★ Anchorage, Alaska's largest city.

At a glance

Alaska, by the numbers

National parks in Alaska at a glance
National parks	8: Glacier Bay, Denali, Kenai Fjords, Wrangell–St. Elias, Katmai, Lake Clark, Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley
Other NPS sites	11 see nps.gov
Most visited park, 2025	Glacier Bay 740,044 visits (#32 of 63)
Entrance fees	Free to $15 per person
Newest national park	Wrangell–St. Elias, December 2, 1980
Oldest national park	Denali, 1917
Nearest to Anchorage	Kenai Fjords 98 mi straight-line, ≈ 2 h 20 min drive (est.)

8 national parks

Alaska's 8 national parks

Busiest first, by 2025 recreation visits.

Photo: NPS / T. VandenBerg
Est. 1980
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
740,044
Entrance
Free entry
Busiest month
July
Quiet month
May
“Covering 3.3 million acres of rugged mountains…” (NPS)
Photo: NPS Photo / Nathan Kostegian
Est. 1917
Denali National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
543,300
Entrance
$15 / person
Busiest month
August
Quiet month
September
“North America's tallest peak…” (NPS)
Photo: NPS Photo, S. Rainone
Est. 1980
Kenai Fjords National Park
2025 visits
425,369
Entrance
Free entry
Busiest month
July
Quiet month
September
“Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield…” (NPS)
Photo: NPS Photo/ Neal Herbert
Est. 1980
Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
108,840
Entrance
Free entry
Busiest month
July
Quiet month
June
“The park is the same size as Yellowstone National Park…” (NPS)
Photo: NPS/David Jacob
Est. 1980
Katmai National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
34,479
Entrance
Free entry
Busiest month
July
Quiet month
June
“Katmai was established in 1918 to protect the volcanically……” (NPS)
Photo: NPS Photo / James Kramer
Est. 1980
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
19,778
Entrance
Free entry
Busiest month
July
Quiet month
September
“Volcanoes steam, salmon run, bears forage…” (NPS)
Photo: NPS Photo / Sean Tevebaugh
Est. 1980
Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
14,923
Entrance
Free entry
Busiest month
July
Quiet month
September
“Wild rivers meander through glacier-carved valleys…” (NPS)
Photo: NPS Photo
Est. 1980
Kobuk Valley National Park
2025 visits
7,786
Entrance
Free entry
Busiest month
July
Quiet month
November
“Caribou, sand dunes, the Kobuk River, Onion Portage…” (NPS)

From Anchorage

The closest national parks to Anchorage

Measured from Anchorage, Alaska's largest city (287,155 people, Census 2025 estimate). Straight-line miles; drive times are our rough estimate.

Nearest national parks to Anchorage
Park	Straight line	Drive (estimate)
Kenai Fjords National ParkAK	98 mi	≈ 2 h 20 min
Lake Clark National Park & PreserveAK	150 mi	Lake Clark is not reachable by road
Denali National Park & PreserveAK	157 mi	≈ 3 h 40 min
Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & PreserveAK	222 mi	≈ 5 h 20 min

11 other NPS sites

Beyond the national parks

Monuments, historic sites, trails and more: every other place the National Park Service lists for Alaska, grouped by type. Links go to nps.gov.

3 National Preserve · 2 National Historical Park · 2 Other NPS site · …Show all 11

National Preserve · 3

National Historical Park · 2

Other NPS site · 2

From the NPS Data API; the same list as Alaska's page on nps.gov. Trails and other multi-state sites appear under each state they cross.

FAQ

Alaska, answered

How many national parks are in Alaska?: 8: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Denali National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve and Kobuk Valley National Park. Alaska also has 11 other National Park Service sites, such as Alagnak Wild River and Alaska Public Lands.
What is the most visited national park in Alaska?: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, with 740,044 recreation visits in 2025, #32 of the 63 national parks. The least visited in Alaska was Kobuk Valley (7,786).
What is the newest national park in Alaska?: Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve, established on December 2, 1980. The oldest is Denali National Park & Preserve (1917).
Do national parks in Alaska charge an entrance fee?: Headline entrance fees run free to $15 per person. Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark and Wrangell–St. Elias have no entrance fee. An America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees.
What is the closest national park to Anchorage?: Kenai Fjords National Park, about 98 miles from Anchorage in a straight line, roughly 2 h 20 min by road on our estimate (straight-line miles × 1.3 at 55 mph, not a route). Anchorage is Alaska's largest city.

Sources · 5

1.Alaska: parks and places (nps.gov) · National Park Service
2.NPS Data API — /parks (all park units) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
3.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (IRMA stats REST service) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) — Visitor Use Statistics Program
4.City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2025 · U.S. Census Bureau
5.2025 Gazetteer Files: Places · U.S. Census Bureau

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