National parks closest to Jefferson County, NE

Written by:
November 14, 2023
Canva

National parks closest to Jefferson County, NE

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 Jefferson County. Straight line distance from Jefferson 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
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

#25. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 825 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

2 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#24. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 820 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

3 / 25
Canva

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

- Distance: 808 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

4 / 25
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

#22. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 780 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

5 / 25
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

#21. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 767 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

6 / 25
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 750 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

7 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#19. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 741 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

8 / 25
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

#18. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 722 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

9 / 25
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

#17. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 715 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

10 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#16. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 696 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

11 / 25
Doug Meek // Shutterstock

#15. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 691 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

12 / 25
Canva

#14. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 680 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

13 / 25
Manamana // Shutterstock

#13. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 672 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

14 / 25
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

#12. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 644 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

15 / 25
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#11. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 629 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

16 / 25
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

#10. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 612 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

17 / 25
SL-Photography // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 577 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

18 / 25
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

#8. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 577 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

19 / 25
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

#7. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 535 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

20 / 25
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

#6. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 483 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

21 / 25
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

#5. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 452 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

22 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#4. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 450 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

23 / 25
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#3. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 401 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

24 / 25
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

#2. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 387 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

25 / 25
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

#1. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 366 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 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