National parks closest to Marin County, CA

Written by:
November 14, 2023
Canva

National parks closest to Marin 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 Marin County. Straight line distance from Marin 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
SL-Photography // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 816 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

2 / 25
kojihirano // Shutterstock

#24. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 788 miles
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres

3 / 25
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 785 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

4 / 25
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 778 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

5 / 25
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

#21. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 751 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

6 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#20. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 744 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

7 / 25
Canva

#19. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 740 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

8 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#18. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 715 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

9 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#17. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 700 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

10 / 25
f11photo // Shutterstock

#16. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 675 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

11 / 25
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 626 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

12 / 25
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

#14. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 610 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

13 / 25
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

#13. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 604 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

14 / 25
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

#12. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 579 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

15 / 25
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

#11. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 535 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

16 / 25
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock

#10. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

- Distance: 481 miles
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres

17 / 25
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

#9. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 464 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

18 / 25
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

#8. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 339 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

19 / 25
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 327 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

20 / 25
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock

#6. Channel Islands National Park (California)

- Distance: 322 miles
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres

21 / 25
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

#5. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 247 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

22 / 25
Bob Pool // Shutterstock

#4. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 239 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

23 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#3. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 183 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

24 / 25
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

#2. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 175 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

25 / 25
Yhelfman // Shutterstock

#1. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 138 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 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