The National Parks That Are Home To the Rarest Endangered Species

Close-up of a grizzly bear swimming, showcasing wildlife in Alaska's natural habitat.

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While America’s national parks are known for majestic scenery and bucket-list adventures, some of their most extraordinary residents are rarely seen – and critically at-risk. Scattered across rugged islands, alpine lakeshores, and remote desert valleys, a handful of national parks are the last refuge for some of the planet’s most endangered plants and animals. In many cases, these species exist nowhere else on Earth.

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The National Park Service plays a major role in preserving America’s wildlife and at-risk species. In the early 2000s, the NPS made major progress in restoring the bald eagle population on the West Coast. More recently, the diminutive island fox – once on the brink of extinction – made a remarkable comeback in California’s Channel Islands National Park. All told, the NPS is working to preserve some 600 threatened and endangered species across 200 park sites.

Some national parks are home to incredibly rare threatened and endangered species. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area, for example, is the only national park where the rare Clapper Rail bird has been spotted. Similarly, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Alaska is the only national park with the threatened wood bison and woodland caribou. A closer look at species occurrences from the National Park Service’s NPSpecies site and species endangerment status from the Animal Welfare Institute reveals the national parks with the rarest threatened and endangered species.

To determine the national parks with the rarest threatened and endangered species, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data on species occurrences from National Park Service’s NPSpecies site and species endangerment status from the Animal Welfare Institute. National parks were ranked based on the number of threatened and endangered mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, and crustacean species occurring within their borders that do not occur at any other national parks. The count of species that occur in two parks or fewer were used in the case of a tie.

10. Fort Matanzas National Monument (Florida)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 1
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 12
Park size: 274 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Anastasia Beach Mouse, Gopher Tortoise, Caribbean Manatee, Kemp's Ridley Turtle, Scalloped Hammerhead

9. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 1
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 19
Park size: 173,835 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Key Largo Woodrat, American Crocodile, Eastern Indigo Snake, Nassau Grouper, Smalltooth Sawfish

8. Point Reyes National Seashore (California)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 1
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 26
Park size: 71,865 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Northern Red-Legged Frog, Sea Otter, Guadalupe Fur Seal, Western Snowy Plover, Tidewater Goby

7. Channel Islands National Park (California)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 1
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 17
Park size: 245,685 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: White Abalone, Black Abalone, Sea Otter, Guadalupe Fur Seal, Canary Rockfish

6. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (Alaska)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 1
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 13
Park size: 2,785,111 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Spotted Seal, Polar Bear, Black Right Whale, Spectacled Eider, Steller's Eider

5. Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 2
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 17
Park size: 130,412 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Perdido Key Beach Mouse, Atlantic Sturgeon, Eastern Indigo Snake, Gopher Tortoise, Manatee; Manati

4. Canaveral National Seashore (Florida)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 2
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 17
Park size: 58,460 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Southeast Beach Mouse, Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake, Black Right Whale, Florida Scrub-Jay, Gopher Tortoise

3. Wrangell - St Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 2
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 13
Park size: 8,321,668 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Wood Bison, Woodland Caribou, Eulachon, Northern Sea Lion, Brown Bear

2. Everglades National Park (Florida)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 2
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 18
Park size: 1,531,768 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Key Largo Cotton Mouse, Everglade Snail Kite, Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, American Crocodile, Eastern Indigo Snake

1. Golden Gate National Recreation Area (California)

Number of threatened and endangered animal species unique to park: 3
Total number of threatened and endangered animal species in park: 24
Park size: 82,467 acres
Rarest threatened and endangered species: Clapper Rail, San Francisco Garter Snake, Delta Smelt, Southern Sea Otter, Guadalupe Fur Seal