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 Flagstaff. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Flagstaff, AZ Metro Area and each national park. Estimated driving times are from Here and are only available within the lower 48 states. All featured distances and driving times 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. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 26 miles
- Driving time: 1.1 hours
- 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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2 / 63#2. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 122 miles
- Driving time: 5.7 hours
- 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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3 / 63#3. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 124 miles
- Driving time: 5.7 hours
- 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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4 / 63#4. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 124 miles
- Driving time: 3.3 hours
- 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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5 / 63#5. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
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6 / 63#6. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 193 miles
- Driving time: 9.7 hours
- 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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7 / 63#7. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 205 miles
- Driving time: 5.2 hours
- 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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8 / 63#8. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 231 miles
- Driving time: 6.0 hours
- 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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9 / 63#9. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 257 miles
- Driving time: 6.9 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
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10 / 63#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
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11 / 63#11. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 273 miles
- Driving time: 6.6 hours
- 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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12 / 63#12. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 284 miles
- Driving time: 6.9 hours
- 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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13 / 63#13. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 293 miles
- Driving time: 8.1 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
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14 / 63#14. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 371 miles
- Driving time: 8.4 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
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15 / 63#15. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
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16 / 63#16. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 384 miles
- Driving time: 13.6 hours
- 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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17 / 63#17. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 388 miles
- Driving time: 12.7 hours
- 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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18 / 63#18. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 450 miles
- Driving time: 12.7 hours
- 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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19 / 63#19. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 452 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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20 / 63#20. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 462 miles
- Driving time: 12.2 hours
- 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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21 / 63#21. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 480 miles
- Driving time: 11.8 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
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22 / 63#22. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 491 miles
- Driving time: 11.0 hours
- 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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23 / 63#23. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 527 miles
- Driving time: 11.2 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
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24 / 63#24. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 547 miles
- Driving time: 13.7 hours
- 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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25 / 63#25. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 609 miles
- Driving time: 14.1 hours
- 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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26 / 63#26. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 619 miles
- Driving time: 15.4 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
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27 / 63#27. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 673 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
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28 / 63#28. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 692 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 hours
- 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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29 / 63#29. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 735 miles
- Driving time: 17.1 hours
- 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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30 / 63#30. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 738 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 hours
- 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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31 / 63#31. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 761 miles
- Driving time: 20.9 hours
- 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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32 / 63#32. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 881 miles
- Driving time: 20.5 hours
- 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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33 / 63#33. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 902 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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34 / 63#34. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 919 miles
- Driving time: 20.1 hours
- 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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35 / 63#35. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,009 miles
- Driving time: 23.0 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
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36 / 63#36. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,031 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 hours
- 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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37 / 63#37. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,062 miles
- Driving time: 19.0 hours
- 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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38 / 63#38. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,203 miles
- Driving time: 20.8 hours
- 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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39 / 63#39. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,300 miles
- Driving time: 28.2 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
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40 / 63#40. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,389 miles
- Driving time: 25.6 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
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41 / 63#41. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,428 miles
- Driving time: 24.9 hours
- 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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42 / 63#42. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,456 miles
- Driving time: 30.5 hours
- 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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43 / 63#43. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,582 miles
- Driving time: 27.0 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
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44 / 63#44. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,670 miles
- Driving time: 28.9 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
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45 / 63#45. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
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46 / 63#46. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,761 miles
- Driving time: 30.0 hours
- 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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47 / 63#47. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,843 miles
- Driving time: 32.4 hours
- 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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48 / 63#48. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,884 miles
- Driving time: 38.2 hours
- 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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49 / 63#49. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,941 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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50 / 63#50. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,965 miles
- Driving time: 36.2 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
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51 / 63#51. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,001 miles
- Driving time: 35.1 hours
- 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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52 / 63#52. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,187 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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53 / 63#53. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,353 miles
- Driving time: 43.5 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
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54 / 63#54. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,365 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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55 / 63#55. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
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56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,504 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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57 / 63#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,513 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
58 / 63#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,734 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,865 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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60 / 63#60. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
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61 / 63#61. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,871 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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62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,104 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: 5,163 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
