National parks closest to Del Norte County, CA

Written by:
November 14, 2023
Canva

National parks closest to Del Norte County, CA

After the hottest summer on record, it's a wonderful time to hit the great outdoors.

The United States is home to 63 national parks, from Yellowstone National Park to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia. The former, located in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, became the world's first national park in 1872 and includes 10,000 hydrothermal features; the latter is the newest national park and hosts the longest steel arch span in the Western Hemisphere. So, the country's park system encompasses something for everyone.

It's not surprising then that these scenic getaways have drawn millions of travelers every year. The National Park Service reported just shy of 312 million recreational visits last year, the most since 2019. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee was by far the most popular national park, with 12.9 million visits. Grand Canyon (Arizona), Zion (Utah), Rocky Mountain (Colorado), and Acadia (Maine) rounded out the top five.

For park enthusiasts, more good news looks to be on the way. Congress is expected to add Georgia's Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as the nation's 64th crown jewel before the end of the year. It'd be the first national park co-managed by a tribal group that was forcibly removed from its land and the first national park in Georgia. But others—including perhaps the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Alaska's Tongass National Forest, and Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona—are vying for the honor.

Wondering where to go next that's not too far from home? Stacker compiled a list of the national parks closest to Del Norte County. Straight line distance from Del Norte County to each national park was used to determine the ranking. County coordinates from the Census Bureau and national park coordinates from NPS were used in the calculation.

When planning your next adventure, know your limits before you go, and check whether the park has regulations or requires permits or reservations. Create backup and emergency plans, and be aware of your surroundings when you arrive. NPS asks visitors to stay within designated areas, watch wildlife responsibly, and keep safety in mind. Animals should not be approached, harassed, touched, or fed, and children and pets must be supervised closely.

1 / 25
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

#25. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 899 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

2 / 25
SL-Photography // Shutterstock

#24. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 886 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

3 / 25
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 884 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

4 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#22. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 788 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

5 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#21. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 785 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

6 / 25
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

#20. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 751 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

7 / 25
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

#19. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 716 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

8 / 25
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

#18. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)

- Distance: 706 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

9 / 25
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock

#17. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

- Distance: 700 miles
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres

10 / 25
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

#16. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 691 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

11 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#15. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 689 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

12 / 25
Pung // Shutterstock

#14. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 689 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

13 / 25
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

#13. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 660 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

14 / 25
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock

#12. Channel Islands National Park (California)

- Distance: 580 miles
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres

15 / 25
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

#11. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 548 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

16 / 25
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

#10. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)

- Distance: 517 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

17 / 25
Canva

#9. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 499 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

18 / 25
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

#8. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 452 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

19 / 25
f11photo // Shutterstock

#7. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 418 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

20 / 25
Yhelfman // Shutterstock

#6. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 393 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres

21 / 25
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

#5. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 370 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

22 / 25
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

#4. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 357 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

23 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#3. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 160 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

24 / 25
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

#2. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 125 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

25 / 25
Bob Pool // Shutterstock

#1. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 26 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 3,119 counties.

Trending Now