When most people picture national parks, they think of long road trips, remote mountain towns, and hours spent driving to a remote trailhead. But not every site in the National Park System requires a car, or even a trip outside the city.
Some national parks are located right in the middle of major U.S. cities. In St. Louis, a national park rises over downtown. San Francisco has a former military post with beaches and hiking trails overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. In New York City, the National Park Service manages thousands of acres of beaches, marshes, and wildlife habitat within the five boroughs.
These 11 national park sites make it possible to add a little national park time to a city trip, sometimes without leaving downtown.
It's hard to find a national park more synonymous with a city than Gateway Arch National Park. The 630-foot stainless steel arch rises beside the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, within walking distance of restaurants, hotels, and Busch Stadium.
The park began in 1935 as Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and was redesignated Gateway Arch National Park in 2018. Its biggest attraction is obvious. Visitors can ride the tram inside the arch to the observation area at the top to soak in panoramic views of St. Louis and the Mississippi River.
At ground level, the free Museum at the Gateway Arch covers the history of St. Louis and westward expansion. You'll also find the Old Courthouse where Dred and Harriet Scott made headlines by suing for their freedom from slavery in the 1840s. Their case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that enslaved people were not U.S. citizens and had no right to sue in federal court. Visitors can tour the restored courthouse before walking through the park's landscaped grounds to the Mississippi River.
San Antonio's most famous mission is the Alamo, but it isn't part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. The park protects four others: Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was established in 1978, and the missions are spread along the San Antonio River south of downtown. They can be reached by car, but one of the best ways to see them is on the Mission Reach section of the San Antonio River Walk. The roughly 10-mile trail connects the missions for cyclists and pedestrians.
Mission San José is the largest and has the park's main visitor center. Visitors can walk through the historic compounds, see centuries-old architecture, and learn about the Indigenous people who lived and worked within the Spanish mission system. The missions remain active Catholic parishes, and together with the Alamo, they're part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Presidio occupies some of the best real estate in San Francisco, although "real estate" doesn't quite describe 1,491 acres of forests, beaches, bluffs, historic buildings, and trails overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
The former military post is part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which was established in 1972. The Army continued using the Presidio until 1994, when it was transferred to the National Park Service. Today, the Presidio Trust manages most of the property, while the National Park Service manages the coastal areas.
It's easy to spend most of a day here. Presidio Tunnel Tops has lawns, overlooks, trails, and some spectacular Golden Gate Bridge views. Visitors can walk down to Baker Beach, hike through stands of eucalyptus and cypress, or follow trails along the coastal bluffs. Crissy Field sits along the bay, and the Walt Disney Family Museum is housed in a former Army barracks on the Main Post.
You'll find more than jazz and beignets in the French Quarter. The New Orleans neighborhood is also home to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.
Congress created the park in 1978 to protect the history, culture, and natural landscapes of southern Louisiana. It's divided among six sites, including the French Quarter Visitor Center in New Orleans.
If you venture farther, the park extends to the Chalmette Battlefield, which preserves the site of the Battle of New Orleans, while Barataria Preserve, just outside the city, has boardwalks and trails through Louisiana wetlands. It's a very different national park experience from mountains and geysers, with alligators, bayous, battlefields, and Cajun and Creole culture taking their place.
New York City has skyscrapers, Broadway theaters, packed subway cars, and, somewhat unexpectedly, more than 27,000 acres of national parkland scattered across New York and New Jersey.
Gateway National Recreation Area was established in 1972, with major sections in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Sandy Hook, New Jersey. For a trip centered on New York City, the Jamaica Bay Unit is especially interesting.
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge sits in Queens and feels completely removed from urban life. More than 325 bird species have been spotted in the larger recreation area, and trails lead through marshes and other coastal habitats. Over in Brooklyn, Floyd Bennett Field occupies New York City's first municipal airport. The former airfield now has opportunities for biking, fishing, birdwatching, kayaking, and other outdoor activities. Gateway also includes beaches, making it possible to spend part of a New York vacation sunning on the sand.
Visitors frequently walk through much of Boston National Historical Park without even realizing they've entered a national park. There isn't a traditional entrance gate. Instead, historic sites are scattered through some of the oldest neighborhoods in the city.
Boston National Historical Park was established in 1974, and many of its best-known sites are connected by the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail. Following the red-brick route leads to places including Faneuil Hall, Old North Church, the Paul Revere House, Old State House, and Bunker Hill Monument.
The park continues into Charlestown, where the Charlestown Navy Yard is home to USS Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat.
In Philadelphia, some of the country's most important historic sites are grouped within a few blocks of restaurants, shops, apartments, and busy downtown streets.
Independence National Historical Park was established in 1948 and covers more than 50 acres in and around downtown Philadelphia. Its two biggest draws need little introduction: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
Visitors can stand in the room where both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were debated and signed, then walk across the street to see the Liberty Bell. The park also includes Congress Hall, where the U.S. Congress met from 1790 to 1800, along with other buildings tied to the earliest years of the United States. Because everything is woven into Philadelphia's street grid, it's easy to explore the park in between meals.
Washington, D.C., is packed with National Park Service sites, but Rock Creek Park feels like it isn't in a city at all.
The wooded park runs through the nation's capital and was established by Congress in 1890, making it the oldest urban park in the National Park Service.
There are more than 30 miles of hiking trails, and parts of Beach Drive are closed to cars, giving cyclists, runners, and walkers extra room. Visitors can also see historic Peirce Mill, play golf or tennis, go horseback riding, or simply disappear into the woods for a while. The main section covers more than 1,700 acres, so it's easy to forget that the White House is only a few miles away.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park isn't separated from Atlanta. It's part of the neighborhood where King grew up and where many of the most important chapters of his life took place.
The site was established in 1980 and redesignated a national historical park in 2018. It covers roughly 39 acres around Auburn Avenue east of downtown Atlanta.
Visitors can see King's birth home and walk the surrounding historic block, then visit Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King served as co-pastor with his father. The park also includes historic Fire Station No. 6. Nearby, the King Center contains the tombs of King and Coretta Scott King and the Eternal Flame. Most of the park can be explored independently, although ranger-led tours are available.
Chicago probably isn't the first place that comes to mind for a national park trip, but the city's South Side is home to one of the newer additions to the National Park System.
Pullman National Historical Park joined the system in 2015. The park preserves the historic company town created by industrialist George Pullman for employees of his railroad sleeping-car company. Its history eventually became intertwined with one of the country's most consequential labor strikes and with the Pullman porters, who played an important role in the labor and civil rights movements.
The visitor center occupies the restored Administration-Clock Tower Building. From there, visitors can walk through the historic neighborhood, see the distinctive row houses, join a ranger program, and visit nearby sites including the National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum. Plan on at least a couple of hours. The National Park Service recommends about half a day for a more complete visit.
Fort McHenry sits on the edge of Baltimore Harbor, only a few miles from the Inner Harbor, but its place in American history goes well beyond Maryland.
The star-shaped fort is best known for the Battle of Baltimore in 1814. Francis Scott Key watched the bombardment from a ship in the harbor and, after seeing the American flag still flying over the fort the following morning, wrote the words that eventually became "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The fort was built in 1798 and transferred to the National Park Service in 1933. Today, visitors can walk through the historic Star Fort, explore exhibits, attend ranger programs, and follow the seawall trail along Baltimore Harbor. The lawns surrounding the fort are also open for walking and picnicking, so there's no need to be a War of 1812 buff to enjoy the setting.