Fun Facts About Different National Parks Around the United States

Here are some fun facts about national parks to help you plan for your next trip.

Fog surrounds trees at Yosemite National Park. / Eric Woomer / USA TODAY NETWORK

National parks and related areas are all over the United States. According to the National Park System, there are currently 431 units, with over 150 related areas as well.

Each place offers something unique to tourists. Every region and state will provide you with a vastly different experience, whether it is different climates, wildlife or greenery that can be viewed.

What kind of adventures await you? There are some incredible fun facts that you should be aware of when planning your next trip.

If you are fortunate enough to visit Alaska, you can go to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Reserve. There you will find the biggest glacial system in the world.

But, the sheer size of the park will require multiple visits to take in everything that it has to offer. More than 13.2 million acres in size, it is also the largest national park in the United States.

Fun fact, you can fit Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park and the entirety of Switzerland inside Wrangell-St. Elias to give some perspective on just how gigantic the space is.

Another park with a superlative exists in Alaska. The Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve holds the title as the least visited national park in the country.

Anyone who visits will have the chance to really become one with nature. There isn’t any cell phone service, allowing you to disconnect and roam the wide open space as there aren’t any dedicated camp sites, paved trails or roads.

Sequoia National Park in California is home to the largest tree by volume on the planet. The General Sherman Tree, a humongous sequoia, is almost 275 feet tall from the base and has a circumference greater than 102 feet on the ground.

The tree is centuries old as well, being at least 2,300 years old but potentially up to 2,700 years.

Looking for some scenic water views, look no further than Yosemite National Park. A ton of waterfalls can be visited, including Ribbon Falls, which is the largest single-drop in North America.

At 1,612 feet, it is greater than 10 times the size of Niagara Falls, one of the most popular tourist destinations on the border of New York and Canada.

Last but not least, anyone traveling on a budget will want to take advantage of these dates. National parks that normally charge a fee will be free to enter on the following dates.

September 28th for National Public Lands Day and November 11th for Veterans Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, the first day of National Park Week in April and Juneteenth are also free entry dates.