National parks closest to Russell County, AL

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 Russell County. Straight line distance from Russell 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: 1 in 96 people in Russell County, Alabama are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,363 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

2 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,339 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,268 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,260 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 1,238 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest January in Russell County, Alabama history

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,233 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,224 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,214 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 1,187 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,154 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

You may also like: Places with the fastest growing home prices in Russell County, AL

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,133 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Canva

12 / 25

#14. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 1,101 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,091 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 653 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 650 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

You may also like: Russell County, AL monthly real estate update

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 571 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Canva

17 / 25

#9. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 557 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

Canva

18 / 25

#8. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 546 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 543 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 520 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

You may also like: Here's how many people are behind on debt payments in Russell County, Alabama

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 480 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

22 / 25

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

- Distance: 452 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 343 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Canva

24 / 25

#2. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 278 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Canva

25 / 25

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

- Distance: 248 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 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: Hottest months in Russell County, AL since 1895