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National parks closest to Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK

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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 Fairbanks North Star Borough. Straight line distance from Fairbanks North Star Borough 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: Hottest months in Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK since 1895

#25. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

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#25. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 2,248 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

#24. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

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#24. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 2,241 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

#23. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

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#23. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 2,225 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

#22. Pinnacles National Park (California)

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#22. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 2,210 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres

#20. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

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#20. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 2,203 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

#19. Yosemite National Park (California)

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#19. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 2,155 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

#18. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

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#18. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 2,003 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

#17. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

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#17. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 1,995 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

#15. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

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#15. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,949 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

#14. Redwood National Park (California)

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#14. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,841 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

#13. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

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#13. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 1,779 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

#12. Glacier National Park (Montana)

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#12. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 1,633 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

#10. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

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#10. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 1,445 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

#9. Olympic National Park (Washington)

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#9. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 1,444 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

#8. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

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#8. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 514 miles
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres

#7. Katmai National Park (Alaska)

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#7. Katmai National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 503 miles
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres

#5. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

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#5. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 362 miles
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres

#4. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

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#4. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 356 miles
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres

#3. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)

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#3. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 286 miles
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres

#2. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (Alaska)

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#2. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 256 miles
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres

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