Alaska State Park System

The Alaska State Park System comprises more than 120 units covering 3,427,895 acres, managed by the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation within the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The article describes it as far larger than any other U.S. state park system.[1]

History

The system began in 1970 with the creation of Denali State Park, Chugach State Park and Kachemak Bay State Park, three of the largest and still most popular parks in the system.[1]

Unit types

The division manages four types of units: full state parks, state recreation areas, state recreation sites and state historic sites. Many coastal units are state marine parks, and units are grouped by region, including Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Tok, Homer, Kenai and Soldotna, Seward, the Mat-Su area, Juneau, Haines and Skagway, Ketchikan, Sitka, and Wrangell and Petersburg.[1]

Largest park

Wood-Tikchik State Park is the largest state park in the United States and accounts for about 15 percent of all state park land in the nation. See the entries on Wood-Tikchik, Chugach and Kachemak Bay State Parks.[1]

FAQs

Who manages Alaska state parks? The Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.

How many units are there? More than 120.

What is the largest Alaska state park? Wood-Tikchik.

When did the system begin? 1970.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Alaska State Parks

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue