National parks closest to Franklin County, IA

Written by:
November 14, 2023
Canva

National parks closest to Franklin County, IA

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 Franklin County. Straight line distance from Franklin 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
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

#25. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 989 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

2 / 25
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

#24. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 980 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

3 / 25
Doug Meek // Shutterstock

#23. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 957 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

4 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#22. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 926 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

5 / 25
Canva

#21. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 917 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

6 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#20. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 898 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

7 / 25
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

#19. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 889 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

8 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#18. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 881 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

9 / 25
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 874 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

10 / 25
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

#16. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 830 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

11 / 25
SL-Photography // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 811 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

12 / 25
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

#14. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 734 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

13 / 25
Steve Heap // Shutterstock

#13. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)

- Distance: 729 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

14 / 25
Canva

#12. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)

- Distance: 718 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

15 / 25
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

#11. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 664 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

16 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#10. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 610 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

17 / 25
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

#9. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 584 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

18 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#8. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 567 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

19 / 25
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#7. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 538 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

20 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#6. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 517 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

21 / 25
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

#5. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 469 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

22 / 25
Canva

#4. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 423 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

23 / 25
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

#3. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 397 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

24 / 25
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

#2. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 327 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

25 / 25
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

#1. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 326 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 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