Coastal -

American Samoa National Park

The only U.S. national park south of the equator, spread across three Samoan islands with rainforest-covered ridges, coral reefs, and

Covering most of St. John, this park protects white-sand beaches, coral reefs, and Danish colonial ruins in the Caribbean.

Home to the tallest trees on Earth, this jointly managed park protects old-growth coast redwood groves alongside rugged Pacific coastline.

An extraordinary range of ecosystems in one park — glacier-capped mountains, temperate rainforest, and wild Pacific coastline — connected by

Volcanoes, glaciers, salmon-filled rivers, and prime bear-viewing at Silver Salmon Creek — reachable only by small plane from Anchorage.

Tidewater glaciers, fjords, and abundant marine wildlife just outside Seward, one of the more accessible Alaska parks thanks to boat

Famous for Brooks Falls, where brown bears gather each summer to catch salmon leaping upstream — accessible only by floatplane.

Rolling sand dunes and beaches along Lake Michigan’s southern shore, with surprising botanical diversity for how close it sits to

Tidewater glaciers calving directly into the sea, reachable mainly by cruise ship or small plane, with whales, sea otters, and

A vast subtropical wetland teeming with alligators, wading birds, and manatees — the largest designated wilderness east of the Mississippi.