California's State Park System is the largest and most diverse in the United States, protecting over 1.5 million acres of land, including redwood forests, deserts, coastlines, lakes, cultural landmarks, and historic sites.

The United States National Park System is a collection of over 400 protected sites across all 50 states and U.S. territories, preserving the nation’s most iconic landscapes and historic places that include national parks, monuments, historic sites, battlefields, seashores, and recreation areas. Each site tells a story — of nature, culture, and the American experience.

Beyond state and national parks, the United States is home to millions of acres of public lands managed by a variety of federal and local agencies. These include national forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands, tribal lands, and local and regional parks.

Around the globe, countries maintain their own national parks and protected areas — from Canada’s Banff and Australia’s Kakadu to Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Chile’s Torres del Paine.