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By state

National parks in New York

Every national park and public-land unit in New York, scored and ranked by our Experience Score.

New York has 29 National Park Service units. These parks stretch across the entire state and offer a wide variety of experiences. You can find the quiet beaches of Fire Island National Seashore or explore Revolutionary War forts at Fort Stanwix National Monument in the Mohawk Valley. The parks around New York Harbor attract the most visitors. However, places like the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, and the long-distance Appalachian and North Country National Scenic Trails, offer experiences for those traveling beyond the city. History, water activities, and extensive trail mileage are common themes across these parks. New York is a good destination for travelers seeking diverse activities on one trip. A family can spend an afternoon at Sagamore Hill. You can stargaze at night on Fire Island. Or, you can paddle the Delaware River for multiple days, all within the same state.

A heron at sunset in the waters and marshes of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge 100DOES IT ALL NPS Photo / Middleton Evans

National Historic Trail · VA

Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail

The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail offers a unique, dispersed national park experience.

Manhattan skyline as seen from Governors Island National Monument 100DOES IT ALL NPS photo

Park · NY

National Parks of New York Harbor

National Parks of New York Harbor is less a park than a decentralized network.

a view of the Delaware River 100DOES IT ALL NPS Photo

Scenic & Recreational River · NY

Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River

The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, a 73-mile expanse between New York and Pennsylvania, offers a rare, undammed waterway in the Northeast.

Silhouette of a man with backpack standing on McAfee Knob at sunset with mountains in the distance. 95DOES IT ALL Photo Credit: ATC/Benjamin Hays

National Scenic Trail · CT

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

The Appalachian Trail, a monumental 2,190-mile footpath, traverses 14 states from Georgia's Springer Mountain to Mount Katahdin in Maine.

The Fire Island Lighthouse against a vibrant sunset. 95DOES IT ALL NPS Photo

National Seashore · NY

Fire Island National Seashore

Fire Island National Seashore garners a 95 Experience Score, reflecting its substantial offerings.

Hiking on trail 95DOES IT ALL NCTA

National Scenic Trail · MI

North Country National Scenic Trail

The North Country National Scenic Trail presents a singular case: not a park unit, but a 4,800-plus-mile continuous footpath.

A park ranger directs a group of children thorugh the fort. 88DOES IT ALL NPS Photo

National Monument · NY

Fort Stanwix National Monument

Fort Stanwix National Monument offers a deep dive into American Revolutionary War history and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, centrally located in Rome, New York.

A large house painted gray with green lawn and trees. 88DOES IT ALL NPS/Audrey Tiernan

National Historic Site · NY

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

Sagamore Hill offers a genuine historical experience.

A man wearing 18th-century clothing carrying a musket and a farmhouse are silhouetted by sunrise. 88DOES IT ALL NPS Photo

National Historical Park · NY

Saratoga National Historical Park

Saratoga National Historical Park marks the 1777 British army surrender, a key turning point in the Revolution.

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge 77WIDE RANGE Doug Racine/USFWS

National Wildlife Refuge · NY

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge

Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge is a premier wetland birding destination in the Northeast, situated at the north end of Cayuga Lake within the Atlantic Flyway.

Tent at Floyd Bennett Field campsite in Gateway's Jamaica Bay unit. 74WIDE RANGE NPS Photo

National Recreation Area · NY

Gateway National Recreation Area

Gateway National Recreation Area is a sprawling, multi-unit urban escape covering 27,000 acres across a dozen distinct sites in New York and New Jersey.

Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge 72WIDE RANGE USFWS

National Wildlife Refuge · NY

Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge

Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge, a 2,550-acre coastal preserve on Long Island's south shore, centers on the Carmans River.

Patina green statue atop her pedestal on Liberty Island; grey cloudy sky in the distance 66GOOD RANGE NPS Photo

National Monument · NY

Statue Of Liberty National Monument

The Statue of Liberty National Monument offers a unique, museum-driven experience, distinct from any wilderness or recreational park.

Bridge over dry moat leading into a gated fort. 64GOOD RANGE NPS photo / Michael B. Shaver

National Monument · NY

Governors Island National Monument

Governors Island, a 172-acre car-free island in New York Harbor, is accessible by ferry from Lower Manhattan or Brooklyn.

Beaux-Arts brick and limestone building with large arched windows and cupola-topped towers. 62GOOD RANGE NPS Photo

Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument · NJ

Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument

Ellis Island functions primarily as a museum, centered on the Main Immigration Building.

Rebecca Turner gravesite 62GOOD RANGE NPS photo

National Historic Site · NY

Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site

Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site offers a concentrated historical experience.

The Wesleyan Chapel in summer 54FOCUSED NPS Photo

National Historical Park · NY

Women's Rights National Historical Park

Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY offers a compact, purpose-built historic experience.

African Burial Ground Memorial 53FOCUSED NPS Photo

National Monument · NY

African Burial Ground National Monument

African Burial Ground National Monument holds immense historical significance within a compact Lower Manhattan footprint.

A tall, green and orange painted church steeple, against a blue sky, with a tree in the foreground. 52FOCUSED NPS

National Historical Park · NY

Harriet Tubman National Historical Park

Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New York, presents a focused view into the later life of an American icon.

Lindenwald, a yellow, 3 story mansion, is surrounded by trees. 51FOCUSED NPS Photo

National Historic Site · NY

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site

Lindenwald, the Hudson Valley estate of Martin Van Buren, offers an Experience Score of 51.

A view of docks and boats in the waterside town of Cape Charles VA 50FOCUSED NPS Photo

Park · DC

Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay Park offers a decentralized experience across six states and Washington D.C.

Mausoleum and flags in sunny weather 49FOCUSED NPS Photo

National Memorial · NY

General Grant National Memorial

General Grant National Memorial offers a focused, urban historical experience within Manhattan's Riverside Park.

A room with wooden floors, blue wall paper, two windows, some furniture and a dress hanging. 49FOCUSED Courtesy of the Tenement Museum

National Historic Site · NY

Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum offers a focused, intense historical immersion.

“Large crowd inside the rotunda of Federal Hall National Memorial” 45FOCUSED NPS

National Memorial · NY

Federal Hall National Memorial

Federal Hall offers a modest experience for a site of immense historical importance.

Hamilton Grange National Memorial 45FOCUSED NPS Photo/Kevin Daley

National Memorial · NY

Hamilton Grange National Memorial

Hamilton Grange National Memorial delivers a focused historical immersion.

Val-Kill Cottage in the Summer 42FOCUSED NPS Photo / Bill Urbin

National Historic Site · NY

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site preserves Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt's sole owned home.

Misty April Morning 41FOCUSED NPS Photo/Bill Urbin

National Historic Site · NY

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site

Vanderbilt Mansion presents a compact, tour-dependent historic site on the Hudson River in Hyde Park, New York.

A stucco and fieldstone house with white trim and circular portico. 30FOCUSED NPS Photo

National Historic Site · NY

Home Of Franklin D Roosevelt National Historic Site

This Hyde Park, New York site commemorates the nation's 32nd and longest-serving president, Franklin D.

A three story house with large porch across the front and flight of steps leading to the ground. 30FOCUSED Photo by Escape Brooklyn

National Historic Site · NY

Thomas Cole National Historic Site

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site, preserving Cedar Grove in Catskill, New York, centers on the genesis of the Hudson River School.

How this page is ranked

How the New York order is set

These 29 New York units are ranked by one number, run identically nationwide: the Experience Score, built only from public records on documented breadth and access. It says nothing about scenery or how busy a place gets. Same formula everywhere, so a New York park and a desert one are read on the same terms.

Keep the blind spots in mind: scenery, seasonal crowds, trail conditions and program quality are all outside this score. A quiet, single-focus spot can land low and still win the weekend. The ranking is a fair look at what is documented, not a ruling on which New York park you will love.