National Park Books

Below you’ll find our pick of the best books that cover most or all of the national parks in the United States. We own all of these books and find them to be fantastic at serving their purpose, whether its general information or beautiful photography. If you’re looking for maps, specifically National Geographic’s large collection of excellent trail maps, try National Park Maps.

National Geographic Complete National Parks of the United States

This book is an amazingly complete guide to every unit of the National Park Service. Along with the 59 (at publication date, 62 now) national parks, nearly 350 other national monuments, memorials, preserves, historic sites, battlefields, cemeteries, parkways, trails, and seashores are covered as well. At 544 pages, the coverage is obviously not extensive, but there’s no better book for getting an idea of every single NPS area. We use it all the time.

Purchase at Amazon • Amazon UK

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Moon USA National Parks: The Complete Guide to All 62 Parks

This is the most up-to-date guide to every national park as of December 2020. Just released in October, it covers every one of the 62 national parks, including the newest members. Moon produces great travel books in general, and this one is no different.

Purchase at Amazon • Amazon UK

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Atlas of the National Parks

This book, released by National Geographic in November of 2019, is what you’d expect from them. It’s big, it’s heavy, and it’s full of stunning photography. This is a coffee-table sized book meant to page through, not to plan a trip. Highly recommended.

Purchase at Amazon • Amazon UK

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National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States, 9th

This is National Geographic’s guide to the national parks only, unlike the first book on this page. As a result, more detailed coverage is possible. As with any National Geographic publication, there are some great photos, along with the usual information. We own several editions of this book and can recommend it. It’s brand new and updated as of 2021.

Purchase at Amazon • Amazon UK

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Your Guide to the National Parks

This is an exhaustive book of the national parks, loaded with practical information. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but anything you might want to know is probably in this book – somewhere.

Purchase at Amazon • Amazon UK

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Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America’s National Parks

This is perhaps the finest photo book of the national parks produced to date. It features the photography of QT Luong. It is not cheap, but is worth every cent. A stunning portrayal of every national park.

Purchase at Amazon • Amazon UK

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The National Parks: Our American Landscape

This is another photo book of the national parks of the United States. Most of the photographs in this paperback book are simply stunning. It is another great choice for those looking for a photo book of the parks. It is available in both hardback and paperback versions.

Purchase at Amazon • Amazon UK

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Books on specific national parks