Which U.S. national park is the smallest by area?
Answer
Gateway Arch National Park
Gateway Arch National Park is the smallest U.S. national park by area.
The St. Louis, Missouri, park covers about 192.83 acres. It includes the Gateway Arch, the Old Courthouse, the surrounding grounds, and a museum connected with westward expansion and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The site began as Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in 1935. Congress redesignated it as Gateway Arch National Park in 2018, making it the newest addition to the list of national parks at that time.
Its small size and urban setting can surprise visitors who associate national parks only with large wilderness landscapes. Hot Springs National Park is the next-smallest national park, but it is still substantially larger.