National parks closest to Cleburne County, AR

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 Cleburne County. Straight line distance from Cleburne County 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: How Cleburne County, Arkansas' GDP has changed since 2018

Manamana // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 992 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Canva

2 / 25

#24. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 988 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 966 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

Canva

4 / 25

#22. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 932 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 923 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

You may also like: Warmest Decembers in Cleburne County, Arkansas history

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 891 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 891 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Canva

8 / 25

#18. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 872 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 842 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 821 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

You may also like: Food insecurity rates in Cleburne County, AR

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 815 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 789 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 785 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 783 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 774 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

You may also like: The share of seniors in Cleburne County, Arkansas with Alzheimer's

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 769 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 759 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 687 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Canva

19 / 25

#7. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 653 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)

- Distance: 630 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

You may also like: Hottest months in Cleburne County, AR since 1895

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 494 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Canva

22 / 25

#4. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)

- Distance: 479 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 346 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 232 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 95 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 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.

You may also like: Here's how many people are behind on debt payments in Cleburne County, Arkansas