Approximately 323 million people visited American national parks in 2025, a 2.7% year-over-year decrease and the first annual decline since 2020.
President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 signed the act creating the National Park Service to leave natural and historic phenomenons "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Since then, our national parks have welcomed visitors from around the world to experience some of the best the country has to offer and showcase the country's natural beauty and cultural heritage. Today, the country's 63 national parks contain at least 247 species of endangered or threatened plants and animals, more than 75,000 archaeological sites, and 18,000 miles of trails.
Stacker compiled a list of the closest national parks to Anchorage. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Anchorage, AK Metro Area and each national park. All featured distances are estimated using representative locations from the center of each metro and national park—for some places within the metro area, the actual distance may be slightly shorter or longer to reach the closest entryway to a park.
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1 / 63#1. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 82 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
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2 / 63#2. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 150 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
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3 / 63#3. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 159 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
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4 / 63#4. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 267 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
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5 / 63#5. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
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6 / 63#6. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 400 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
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7 / 63#7. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 464 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
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8 / 63#8. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 504 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
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9 / 63#9. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,413 miles
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
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10 / 63#10. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
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11 / 63#11. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,524 miles
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
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12 / 63#12. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,648 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
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13 / 63#13. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,741 miles
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
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14 / 63#14. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,792 miles
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
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15 / 63#15. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
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16 / 63#16. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,976 miles
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
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17 / 63#17. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 2,015 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
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18 / 63#18. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 2,073 miles
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
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19 / 63#19. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,116 miles
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
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20 / 63#20. Pinnacles National Park (California)
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21 / 63#21. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 2,185 miles
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
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22 / 63#22. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,203 miles
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
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23 / 63#23. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,222 miles
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
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24 / 63#24. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 2,250 miles
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
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25 / 63#25. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 2,271 miles
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
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26 / 63#26. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 2,282 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
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27 / 63#27. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 2,319 miles
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
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28 / 63#28. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 2,319 miles
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
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29 / 63#29. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 2,328 miles
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
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30 / 63#30. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
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31 / 63#31. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 2,338 miles
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
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32 / 63#32. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,354 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
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33 / 63#33. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 2,355 miles
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
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34 / 63#34. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 2,359 miles
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
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35 / 63#35. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
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36 / 63#36. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 2,419 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
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37 / 63#37. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,456 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
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38 / 63#38. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 2,457 miles
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
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39 / 63#39. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 2,496 miles
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
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40 / 63#40. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
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41 / 63#41. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 2,544 miles
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
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42 / 63#42. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 2,694 miles
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
43 / 63#43. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 2,784 miles
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
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44 / 63#44. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 2,871 miles
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
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45 / 63#45. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
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46 / 63#46. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 2,879 miles
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,880 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
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48 / 63#48. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 2,943 miles
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
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49 / 63#49. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,968 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
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50 / 63#50. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
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51 / 63#51. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 3,081 miles
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 3,084 miles
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
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53 / 63#53. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 3,156 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
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54 / 63#54. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 3,269 miles
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
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55 / 63#55. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
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56 / 63#56. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 3,331 miles
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
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57 / 63#57. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 3,333 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
58 / 63#58. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 3,520 miles
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
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59 / 63#59. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 3,985 miles
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
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60 / 63#60. Everglades National Park (Florida)
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61 / 63#61. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 4,015 miles
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
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62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 4,945 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,390 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
