This article lists scenic areas in the United States National Park System: national preserves, national recreation areas, national seashores, national lakeshores, national rivers, national wild and scenic rivers, national reserves, and a few miscellaneous protected areas. This designation is for the purposes of this list and should not be confused with the official type of protected area administered primarily by the US Forest Service; see National Scenic Area
This article doesn't contain all the natural areas in the National Park System. See also United States national parks and United States national monuments, together constituting the most spectacular destinations in the system, as well as United States national parkways and the National Trails System.
New England edit
Massachusetts edit
- 1 Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
- 2 Cape Cod National Seashore
- Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Wild and Scenic Rivers
- Westfield Wild and Scenic River
Vermont edit
- 3 Moosalamoo National Recreation Area (USFS), Green Mountains
- 4 White Rocks National Recreation Area (USFS), Green Mountains
Mid-Atlantic edit
- 5 Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Middle Delaware National Scenic River (New Jersey, Pennsylvania)
- 6 Gateway National Recreation Area (New Jersey, New York)
- Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (New York, Pennsylvania)
Delaware edit
Maryland edit
- 7 Assateague Island National Seashore
- 8 Catoctin Mountain Park
- 9 Greenbelt Park, Greenbelt — A wooded park with a campground in the DC suburbs.
- 10 Piscataway Park, Accokeek
New Jersey edit
- Great Egg Harbor River
- 11 New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve
New York edit
Pennsylvania edit
Washington, D.C. edit
- 14 Anacostia Park, Anacostia
- 15 East Potomac Park, Waterfront
- 16 Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Anacostia
- 17 Meridian Hill
- 18 Rock Creek Park (Meridian Hill Park, Old Stone House, Peirce Mill, Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway)
South edit
- 19 Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (Kentucky, Tennessee)
- 20 Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (USFS) (Kentucky, Tennessee)
Alabama edit
Arkansas edit
Georgia edit
- 22 Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Atlanta
- 23 Cumberland Island National Seashore
- 24 Ed Jenkins National Recreation Area (USFS)
Mississippi edit
North Carolina edit
Tennessee edit
Virginia edit
West Virginia edit
- 31 Bluestone National Scenic River
- 32 Gauley River National Recreation Area
- 33 Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area (USFS)
Florida edit
- 34 Big Cypress National Preserve
- 35 — Contains the second-highest number of endangered species of any U.S. national park.
- 36 Gulf Islands National Seashore
- 37 Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
Midwest edit
- 38 Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (Minnesota, Wisconsin)
Michigan edit
- 39 Grand Island National Recreation Area (USFS)
- 40 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
- 41 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Minnesota edit
Missouri edit
Wisconsin edit
Texas edit
Great Plains edit
- 49 Missouri National Recreational River (Nebraska, South Dakota)
Kansas edit
- 50 Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Strong City
Nebraska edit
Oklahoma edit
- 53 Chickasaw National Recreation Area
- 54 Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area (USFS)
Rocky Mountains edit
- 55 Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (Montana, Wyoming)
Colorado edit
- 56 Arapaho National Recreation Area (USFS), near Granby
- 57 Curecanti National Recreation Area
Idaho edit
- 58 City of Rocks National Reserve
- 59 Sawtooth National Recreation Area (USFS), near Ketchum
Montana edit
- 60 Rattlesnake National Recreation Area (USFS)
Southwest edit
- 61 Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Arizona, Utah)
- 62 Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Arizona, Nevada)
Nevada edit
- 63 Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (USFS)
New Mexico edit
- 64 Jemez National Recreation Area (USFS), Jemez Mountains
- 65 Valles Caldera National Preserve (USFS) — A huge volcanic caldera situated in the midst of the Jemez Mountains, now covered in a verdant grassland.
Utah edit
California edit
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area — Preserves a set of coastal areas in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- 67 Mojave National Preserve – sand dunes, Joshua trees, and volcanoes in a quiet part of the Southern California desert
- 68 Point Reyes National Seashore – wild beaches and rocky cliffs with abundant wildlife, including elephant seals
- 69 Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
- 70 Smith River National Recreation Area (USFS), Crescent City
- 71 Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, near Redding
Pacific Northwest edit
Oregon edit
- 72 Hells Canyon National Recreation Area (USFS), near Baker City
- 73 Mount Hood National Recreation Area (USFS)
- 74 Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (USFS), Florence
Washington edit
- 75 Lake Chelan National Recreation Area
- 76 Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area
- 77 Mount Baker National Recreation Area (USFS)
- 78 Ross Lake National Recreation Area