National parks closest to Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AK

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 Ketchikan Gateway Borough. Straight line distance from Ketchikan Gateway 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.

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#25. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 1,502 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

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2 / 25

#24. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,475 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

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3 / 25

#23. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)

- Distance: 1,466 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

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#22. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,422 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

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#21. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,391 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres

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#20. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 1,381 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

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7 / 25

#19. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,330 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

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8 / 25

#18. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 1,317 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

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#17. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 1,225 miles
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres

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#16. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 1,210 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

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

- Distance: 1,176 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

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#14. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,125 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

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

- Distance: 1,111 miles
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres

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#12. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,024 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

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#11. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 953 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

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#10. Katmai National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 923 miles
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres

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#9. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 892 miles
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres

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#8. Denali National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 883 miles
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres

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#7. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 870 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

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#6. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 764 miles
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres

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#5. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 719 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

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#4. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 627 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

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#3. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 617 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

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

- Distance: 586 miles
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres

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#1. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 317 miles
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 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.

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