National parks closest to Marion County, MS

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 Marion County. Straight line distance from Marion 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.

You may also like: What access to mental health care looks like in Marion County, Mississippi

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 1,201 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 1,184 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

Canva

3 / 25

#23. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 1,159 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,142 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

5 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,133 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Marion County, Mississippi in the last week

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,131 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,103 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,089 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,005 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 974 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest Februaries in Marion County, Mississippi history

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 889 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 869 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 830 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 815 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 812 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

You may also like: Places with the fastest growing home prices in Marion County, MS

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 733 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Canva

17 / 25

#9. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 706 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

18 / 25

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

- Distance: 679 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 677 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

Canva

20 / 25

#6. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 622 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

You may also like: Food insecurity rates in Marion County, MS

Canva

21 / 25

#5. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 558 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 510 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Canva

23 / 25

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

- Distance: 473 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 462 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 295 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 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.

You may also like: How Marion County, Mississippi's GDP has changed since 2018