stories
stories
HomeMoneyLifestyleNewsSportsEntertainmentTravelScienceLocal

National parks closest to Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK

·Stacker

Canva
Canva
Add Stacker as Preferred Source

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 Lake and Peninsula Borough. Straight line distance from Lake and Peninsula 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: 1 in 60 people in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska are grandparents caring for grandchildren

#25. Zion National Park (Utah)

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 2,417 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

#24. Channel Islands National Park (California)

Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Channel Islands National Park (California)

- Distance: 2,368 miles
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres

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

Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

3 / 25

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

- Distance: 2,320 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

#22. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 2,287 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

#20. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 2,259 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

#19. Pinnacles National Park (California)

Yhelfman // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 2,186 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres

#18. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 2,171 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

#17. Yosemite National Park (California)

Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 2,164 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

#15. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,959 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

#14. Glacier National Park (Montana)

Pung // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 1,841 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

#13. Redwood National Park (California)

Bob Pool // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,825 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

#12. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 1,808 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

#10. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

Canva

16 / 25

#10. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 1,570 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

#9. Olympic National Park (Washington)

f11photo // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 1,521 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

#8. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

Canva

18 / 25

#8. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 709 miles
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres

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

Canva

19 / 25

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

- Distance: 675 miles
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres

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

Canva

21 / 25

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

- Distance: 533 miles
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres

#4. Denali National Park (Alaska)

Canva

22 / 25

#4. Denali National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 402 miles
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres

#3. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

Canva

23 / 25

#3. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 255 miles
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres

#2. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 198 miles
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres

Trending stories