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 Prescott Valley. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Prescott Valley-Prescott, 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: 102 miles
- Driving time: 2.9 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. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 162 miles
- Driving time: 3.7 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
3 / 63#3. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 186 miles
- Driving time: 7.6 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. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 199 miles
- Driving time: 4.8 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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5 / 63#5. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 203 miles
- Driving time: 5.6 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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6 / 63#6. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 204 miles
- Driving time: 7.8 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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7 / 63#7. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 258 miles
- Driving time: 9.4 hours
- 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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8 / 63#8. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 264 miles
- Driving time: 7.0 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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9 / 63#9. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 287 miles
- Driving time: 11.7 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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10 / 63#10. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 289 miles
- Driving time: 7.3 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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11 / 63#11. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 315 miles
- Driving time: 9.6 hours
- 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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12 / 63#12. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 325 miles
- Driving time: 8.1 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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13 / 63#13. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 366 miles
- Driving time: 12.6 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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14 / 63#14. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 368 miles
- Driving time: 13.5 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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15 / 63#15. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 383 miles
- Driving time: 10.1 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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16 / 63#16. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 390 miles
- Driving time: 8.5 hours
- 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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17 / 63#17. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 394 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 445 miles
- Driving time: 12.6 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 449 miles
- Driving time: 10.6 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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20 / 63#20. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 484 miles
- Driving time: 10.4 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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21 / 63#21. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 500 miles
- Driving time: 10.6 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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22 / 63#22. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 500 miles
- Driving time: 11.1 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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23 / 63#23. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 553 miles
- Driving time: 14.4 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
24 / 63#24. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 635 miles
- Driving time: 14.4 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
25 / 63#25. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 635 miles
- Driving time: 15.9 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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26 / 63#26. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 661 miles
- Driving time: 14.6 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 697 miles
- Driving time: 16.3 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
28 / 63#28. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 769 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 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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29 / 63#29. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 774 miles
- Driving time: 20.0 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 786 miles
- Driving time: 17.8 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 828 miles
- Driving time: 19.2 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 969 miles
- Driving time: 22.1 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 975 miles
- Driving time: 22.6 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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34 / 63#34. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 981 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,067 miles
- Driving time: 24.5 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: 1,079 miles
- Driving time: 25.4 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,112 miles
- Driving time: 19.5 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,271 miles
- Driving time: 21.2 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,392 miles
- Driving time: 29.5 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,466 miles
- Driving time: 26.1 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,491 miles
- Driving time: 25.3 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: 1,546 miles
- Driving time: 32.2 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: 1,640 miles
- Driving time: 27.5 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,745 miles
- Driving time: 29.3 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
45 / 63#45. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,764 miles
- Driving time: 29.8 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
46 / 63#46. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,814 miles
- Driving time: 30.4 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. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,907 miles
- Driving time: 38.8 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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48 / 63#48. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,911 miles
- Driving time: 32.8 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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49 / 63#49. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,993 miles
- Driving time: 36.7 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
50 / 63#50. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,994 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
51 / 63#51. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,031 miles
- Driving time: 35.7 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: 2,239 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
53 / 63#53. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,410 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,432 miles
- Driving time: 44.0 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,539 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,556 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
57 / 63#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,558 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: 2,793 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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59 / 63#59. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,805 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,814 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
61 / 63#61. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,921 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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62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,136 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: 5,082 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
