March 30, 2026
US National Parks Trivia: 40 Questions Every Nature Lover Should Know
April is National Parks Month, and the National Park Service manages nearly 600 sites across all 50 states. From the geysers of Yellowstone to the granite cliffs of Acadia, these protected lands hold some of America's best-kept secrets. We've assembled 40 trivia questions organized into four tiers of difficulty. No multiple choice. No hints. Just you and the wilderness of your own memory. Answers are tucked at the bottom — no peeking until you've committed your guesses.
Tier 1 — Ranger Recruit (Easy)
If you've ever visited a national park or watched a nature documentary, you should get most of these right.
- Which national park was the first to be established in the United States? Hint: it was signed into law in 1872.
- Old Faithful is a geyser located in which national park?
- What massive natural feature is protected by Grand Canyon National Park? Name the state, too.
- Which national park is home to the tallest trees on Earth?
- Mount Denali, the highest peak in North America at 20,310 feet, is in which state? Check Alaska's data.
- What is the name of the underwater national park in the Florida Keys?
- Which national park sits atop an active volcanic system and had a significant eruption as recently as 1980?
- The Going-to-the-Sun Road is a famous scenic highway in which park?
- Which state has the most national parks? Hint: it has nine.
- What national park is famous for its half-dome granite formation in California's Sierra Nevada?
Tier 2 — Trail Guide (Medium)
These require either a visit or some serious armchair exploring. Think carefully.
- Which national park in Maine is known for Cadillac Mountain, where the sunrise first hits the US in autumn and winter?
- What is the lowest point in North America, located in a national park named after its extreme conditions? Name the park and the elevation.
- Which park, shared by Tennessee and North Carolina, is the most visited national park in the US?
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park is in which state?
- What national park in Utah is famous for its natural sandstone arches, with over 2,000 documented?
- The Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. What type of ecosystem does it primarily protect?
- Which park spans three states and follows a major Appalachian river system? Hint: it includes the deepest river gorge in the eastern US.
- Petrified Forest National Park preserves ancient fossilized trees. In which state is it located?
- What volcanic national park in Hawaii has been continuously erupting since 1983?
- Which park in South Dakota features eroded spires called "hoodoos" and is named for the difficult terrain early settlers encountered?
Tier 3 — Backcountry Expert (Hard)
These questions test deep knowledge. Guessing won't cut it.
- Which national park is home to the largest living tree by volume? Name both the park and the tree.
- What was the last national park created in Alaska under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980?
- Which two national parks were originally one park that was split in the 1920s? Hint: both are in the Sierra Nevada.
- Name the only national park in West Virginia.
- The Teton Range rises over 7,000 feet above the valley floor in which park — and what makes this mountain-building process geologically unusual?
- Which national park protects the longest known cave system in the world? How many explored miles does it exceed?
- What is the newest national park in the United States as of 2025?
- Isle Royale National Park is famous for the longest-running predator-prey study in the world. Which two species are involved?
- Which national park contains both the highest waterfall in North America and the continent's largest exposed granite monolith?
- Name three national parks that sit on an international border.
Tier 4 — Chief Naturalist (Expert)
Only the most dedicated park enthusiasts will get these. Good luck, agent.
- Which national park has the fewest annual visitors, averaging under 15,000 per year?
- What park in American Samoa is the only national park south of the equator under US jurisdiction?
- Name the national park that contains the oldest known living organism on Earth. What type of organism is it?
- Which park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its fossil record of ancient horses, rhinos, and saber-toothed cats?
- The Guadalupe Mountains in Texas contain the world's most extensive exposed fossil reef. From what geological period does this reef date?
- Which park in Nevada was designated to protect ancient bristlecone pines and the Lehman Caves?
- What was the original name of Denali National Park when it was established in 1917?
- Name the national park that protects the largest temperate rainforest in the contiguous US. What state is it in?
- Which park in North Dakota was named after a president who ranched there, and what role did that president play in creating the national parks system?
- Dry Tortugas National Park can only be reached by what two methods of transportation?
Answers
Scroll down only after you've locked in your guesses. Honor system, agent.
1. Yellowstone (Wyoming/Montana/Idaho). 2. Yellowstone. 3. The Grand Canyon, Arizona. 4. Redwood National Park (California). 5. Alaska. 6. Dry Tortugas (Biscayne is also underwater, but Dry Tortugas is more remote). 7. Mount St. Helens is a National Volcanic Monument, not a national park — the intended answer is Lassen Volcanic National Park or Hawai'i Volcanoes. 8. Glacier National Park (Montana). 9. California. 10. Yosemite.
11. Acadia. 12. Death Valley — Badwater Basin at -282 feet. 13. Great Smoky Mountains. 14. New Mexico. 15. Arches National Park. 16. Wetlands / mangrove-sawgrass marsh. 17. New River Gorge (West Virginia/Virginia). 18. Arizona. 19. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. 20. Badlands National Park.
21. Sequoia National Park — General Sherman tree. 22. Gates of the Arctic (or Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, Kenai Fjords — all 1980). 23. Sequoia and Kings Canyon (originally General Grant National Park). 24. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. 25. Grand Teton — the Teton fault has no foothills, creating the sheer vertical rise. 26. Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) — over 420 miles. 27. New River Gorge (designated 2020). 28. Wolves and moose, Isle Royale (Michigan). 29. Yosemite (Yosemite Falls and El Capitan). 30. Glacier/Waterton Lakes (US-Canada), Voyageurs (US-Canada border), Big Bend (US-Mexico).
31. Gates of the Arctic (Alaska). 32. National Park of American Samoa. 33. Great Basin National Park — bristlecone pines (over 5,000 years old). 34. John Day Fossil Beds is a National Monument; Badlands has significant fossils — but the intended answer is Fossil Butte or Hagerman (monuments). Accept Badlands for the mammal fossil record. 35. Permian period (~265 million years ago). 36. Great Basin National Park (Nevada). 37. Mount McKinley National Park. 38. Olympic National Park, Washington. 39. Theodore Roosevelt National Park — Roosevelt championed the Antiquities Act of 1906 and created 5 national parks. 40. Seaplane and boat (no bridge or road access).
How Did You Score?
35-40 correct: Chief Naturalist. You probably own an annual parks pass and have opinions about trail mix brands.
25-34 correct: Backcountry Expert. Solid knowledge — you'd hold your own around any campfire.
15-24 correct: Trail Guide. A respectable showing. Time to plan a few more park trips.
Below 15: Ranger Recruit. Don't worry — every expert starts somewhere. Start with our Fast Facts pages to learn about each state's parks and geography.
Keep Exploring
National parks data powers one of the five clue categories in GeoProwl's daily geography puzzle. Every day, we pull real stats from the National Park Service API to craft cryptic clues about a mystery state. Think you can identify a state from its park count, designation types, and visitor stats? Play today's round and find out. Or sharpen your state knowledge with Just States — a rapid-fire map quiz that drills all 50 states in under five minutes.