Chester State Park
🏆 South Carolina’s CCC-Era Lakeside Retreat — A 160-acre fishing lake, a historic boathouse on the water, lakeside camping, and […]
State Parks Near Red River Gorge: Natural Bridge & Cumberland Falls
The Daniel Boone National Forest and its famous Red River Gorge have become Kentucky’s outdoor magnet — world-class climbing, arches
State Parks in the Columbia River Gorge: Rooster Rock & Beacon Rock
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area draws crowds to Multnomah Falls — but two state parks, one on each
State Parks Near Padre Island: Mustang Island & Goose Island
Padre Island National Seashore protects the longest undeveloped barrier island in the world — and its primitive campgrounds and permit
State Parks Near New River Gorge: Babcock & Hawks Nest
New River Gorge became America’s newest national park in 2020, and the crowds followed. But two of West Virginia’s most
State Parks Near Congaree: Poinsett & the Columbia Area
Congaree National Park protects the largest old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the Southeast — but it’s a compact park,
State Parks Near Joshua Tree: Mount San Jacinto & Anza-Borrego
Joshua Tree National Park sits between two state parks that could hardly be more different from it — or from
State Parks Near Death Valley: Red Rock Canyon & Valley of Fire
Death Valley National Park is vast and remote — which means most visitors reach it via long desert drives from
State Parks Near Acadia: Lamoine, Camden Hills & Quoddy Head
Acadia National Park compresses millions of visitors into one small island every summer — Bar Harbor traffic, vehicle reservations for
State Parks Near Moab: Dead Horse Point & Goblin Valley
Moab is the basecamp for two national parks — Arches and Canyonlands — and in peak season both feel like
State Parks Near Zion: Sand Hollow, Quail Creek & Snow Canyon
Zion National Park is spectacular — and famously crowded. Shuttle lines, timed permits for Angels Landing, and campgrounds that book
State Parks Near Bryce Canyon: Kodachrome Basin, Escalante & More
Bryce Canyon National Park draws millions of visitors a year — and in summer, that means full parking lots, booked-out
Crawford State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Kansas — Home to the only natural Ozark lake in Kansas — 150-acre lake with limestone bluffs in the
Sand Bridge State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Pennsylvania — Remote park in the Seven Mountains region of central Pennsylvania — named for a natural sandstone bridge
White Clay Creek Preserve
🏆 Official Guide: White Clay Creek Preserve — Pennsylvania’s only state park designated as a “preserve” — protecting 3,050 acres
Vosburg Neck State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Pennsylvania — A dramatic horseshoe bend in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River — the “neck” is a
Drake Well Museum and Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Pennsylvania — WHERE THE OIL INDUSTRY WAS BORN — on August 27, 1859, Colonel Edwin Drake struck oil at
St. Croix Islands State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Minnesota — Six undeveloped islands in the St. Croix River — accessible only by canoe or kayak! These islands
Tall Pines State Preserve
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Jersey — Pine Barrens preserve protecting one of the last stands of Atlantic white cedar and pitch pine
Farny State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Jersey — Rugged 3,600-acre wildland in Morris County — one of the least developed state parks in NJ
Pigeon Swamp State Park
🏆 Official Guide: Pigeon Swamp State Park — A 1,078-acre New Jersey wetland preserve and National Natural Landmark in South
Capital City State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Jersey — Day-use park along the Delaware and Raritan Canal in Trenton — provides green space and recreational
Marsha P. Johnson State Park
🏆 Official Guide: Marsha P. Johnson State Park — A waterfront park on the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New
Taylor Mill State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Hampshire — Preserved 19th-century water-powered sawmill — one of the last working examples of New England’s timber industry
Nansen Ski Jump State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Hampshire — Once the LARGEST ski jump in the Eastern United States — the Nansen Jump in Milan
White Island State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Hampshire — The Isles of Shoals Lighthouse — 7 miles offshore on White Island! Built in 1859, this
Bedell Bridge State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Hampshire — Site of what was once the longest two-span covered bridge in America — the 396-foot Bedell
Governor Wentworth Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Hampshire — Ruins of Governor John Wentworth’s 1770s country estate on the shores of Lake Wentworth — the
Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 New Hampshire — The 42-room mansion of Benning Wentworth — New Hampshire’s first Royal Governor (1741-1766) who got insanely
Monadnock State Park
✓ Verified by America’s State Parks Editorial Team – Updated May 2026 Monadnock State Park — 5,000+ acres in Jaffrey
Fort Atkinson State Preserve
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Iowa — The only U.S. fort built to protect one Native American tribe from another — built in 1840
Scott’s Gulf Wilderness State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Tennessee — Tennessee’s most remote and rugged canyon — a 600-foot deep gorge carved by the Caney Fork River
North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Tennessee — Dramatic gorge with 5+ waterfalls near Chattanooga — the creek carves through 200-foot sandstone walls! The gorge
Rocky Fork State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Tennessee — 2,053 acres in the Appalachian Highlands — one of the most biologically diverse areas in Tennessee with
Traveler’s Rest State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Georgia — One of the finest remaining plantation houses in northeast Georgia — built in 1815 by Devereaux Jarrett,
Jefferson Davis Memorial State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Georgia — The exact spot where Union cavalry captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis on May 10, 1865 — wearing
Lapham-Patterson House State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Georgia — Quirky Victorian showpiece in Thomasville — built in 1885 with NO right angles! Every room has at
Pickett’s Mill Battlefield State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Georgia — Best-preserved Civil War battlefield in Georgia — on May 27, 1864, Union forces attacked the Confederate position
Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Georgia — The most intact Mississippian culture site in the Southeast — 63-acre complex with 6 earthen mounds built
Helen Avalynne Tawes Garden
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Maryland — 6-acre botanical garden on the grounds of the Maryland DNR headquarters in Annapolis — showcases all of
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Maryland — 560-acre archaeological preserve on the Patuxent River — over 70 identified archaeological sites spanning 9,000 years! The
Love Point State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Maryland — Northern tip of Kent Island where the Chesapeake Bay Bridge touches down — site of the former
Savage Highlands State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Maryland — Western Maryland’s newest park in the Allegheny Highlands — rugged terrain with access to the Big Savage
Franklin Point State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Maryland — Hidden gem on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay — 600+ acres of forests, meadows, and
Hart-Miller Island State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Maryland — Man-made island in the Chesapeake Bay — built from Baltimore Harbor dredge material! Hart and Miller were
Sand Island State Recreation Area
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Hawaii — Urban beach park on a man-made island in Honolulu Harbor — one of the few places to
Kukaniloko Birthstones State Monument
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Hawaii — The most sacred site on Oahu — Hawaiian royal women gave birth here on special birthing stones
Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Hawaii — Dramatic volcanic coastline on Oahu’s southeast shore — the Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail winds along 700-foot sea cliffs
Grand Isle State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Vermont — On the shores of Lake Champlain with panoramic views of the Adirondack Mountains across the water —
San Rafael State Natural Area
🏆 Official Guide: San Rafael State Natural Area — A closed-to-public preserve protecting one of Arizona’s last pristine native grassland