Best National & State Parks in the USA
10 national & state parks • Updated August 2026
The best national & state parks in the USA for a family day out. We have rounded up 10 national & state parks, from Everglades National Park to family favorites across Florida, ranked by what actually matters with kids: age suitability, ticket value and how easy they are to get to. Compare the top five below, then browse every national & state park by state. Need a different angle? Try our other things to do in the USA.
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National & State Parks in the USA: what to expect
the USA has 10 national & state parks we would happily take our own kids to. Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center is the one most families start with. Start your Channel Islands adventure here, the mainland gateway for planning a trip to the islands. Dinosaur Valley State Park is the other name that comes up again and again. Walk in real dinosaur footprints preserved in the Paluxy Riverbed, then hike, paddle, and camp across the surrounding Texas park. Dry Tortugas National Park rounds out the pick of the bunch. Reach a remote island fort 70 miles past Key West, ringed by coral reefs and reachable only by boat or seaplane. Also worth your time: Falling Waters State Park, Giant City State Park, Starved Rock State Park and Everglades National Park.
Published prices run from $5 at Falling Waters State Park up to $16 at Florida Caverns State Park. 4 of the 10 listed here quote a starting price. The others vary by season or by what you add on, so check before you travel.
The national & state parks on this page are spread across Florida (5), Illinois (3), California (1) and Texas (1), so it is easy to pair two into one trip.
All national & state parks
10 national & state parks across the USA
National State Parks
Falling Waters State Park
Chipley, Florida
Follow a boardwalk past fern-filled sinkholes to Florida's highest waterfall.
National State Parks
Giant City State Park
Makanda, Illinois
Wander the "Giant City Streets," sandstone bluffs split into corridors 12,000 years ago.
National State Parks
Starved Rock State Park
Oglesby, Illinois
Hike sandstone canyons and seasonal waterfalls carved by ancient glacial meltwater.
National State Parks
Everglades National Park
Everglades, Florida
Explore America's first national park created for its biodiversity, a vast mosaic of wetlands and rare wildlife.
National State Parks
Dry Tortugas National Park
Key West, Florida
Reach a remote island fort 70 miles past Key West, ringed by coral reefs and reachable only by boat or seaplane.
National State Parks
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park
Spring Hill, Florida
Watch live mermaids perform underwater at this spring-fed Florida state park.
National State Parks
Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center
Ventura, California
Start your Channel Islands adventure here, the mainland gateway for planning a trip to the islands.
National State Parks
Florida Caverns State Park
Marianna, Florida
Tour cave passageways widened by 1930s CCC workers, then surface for trails, paddling, and a swimming area across 1,500 acres.
National State Parks
Matthiessen State Park
Oglesby, Illinois
Hike past waterfalls and canyons carved by ancient streams in northern Illinois.
National State Parks
Dinosaur Valley State Park
Glen Rose, Texas
Walk in real dinosaur footprints preserved in the Paluxy Riverbed, then hike, paddle, and camp across the surrounding Texas park.