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 Pine Bluff. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Pine Bluff, AR 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. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 70 miles
- Driving time: 1.7 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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2 / 63#2. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 329 miles
- Driving time: 6.3 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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3 / 63#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 392 miles
- Driving time: 7.3 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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4 / 63#4. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 490 miles
- Driving time: 9.5 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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5 / 63#5. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 587 miles
- Driving time: 10.5 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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6 / 63#6. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 642 miles
- Driving time: 12.4 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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7 / 63#7. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 667 miles
- Driving time: 12.6 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
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8 / 63#8. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 736 miles
- Driving time: 12.8 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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9 / 63#9. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 744 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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10 / 63#10. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 753 miles
- Driving time: 13.6 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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11 / 63#11. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 765 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 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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12 / 63#12. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 800 miles
- Driving time: 14.7 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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13 / 63#13. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 817 miles
- Driving time: 14.8 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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14 / 63#14. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 826 miles
- Driving time: 15.1 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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15 / 63#15. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
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16 / 63#16. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 867 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 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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17 / 63#17. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 875 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 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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18 / 63#18. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 895 miles
- Driving time: 19.2 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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19 / 63#19. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 901 miles
- Driving time: 17.6 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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20 / 63#20. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
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21 / 63#21. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 931 miles
- Driving time: 18.5 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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22 / 63#22. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 954 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 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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23 / 63#23. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 983 miles
- Driving time: 18.8 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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24 / 63#24. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 996 miles
- Driving time: 17.8 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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25 / 63#25. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,018 miles
- Driving time: 16.1 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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26 / 63#26. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,031 miles
- Driving time: 19.8 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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27 / 63#27. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,043 miles
- Driving time: 24.5 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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28 / 63#28. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,073 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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29 / 63#29. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,081 miles
- Driving time: 18.8 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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30 / 63#30. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
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31 / 63#31. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,151 miles
- Driving time: 19.6 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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32 / 63#32. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,159 miles
- Driving time: 23.2 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,205 miles
- Driving time: 23.3 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,210 miles
- Driving time: 22.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,226 miles
- Driving time: 23.3 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
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36 / 63#36. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 1,285 miles
- Driving time: 24.1 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,373 miles
- Driving time: 24.2 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 1,412 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,450 miles
- Driving time: 28.3 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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40 / 63#40. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,508 miles
- Driving time: 30.4 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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41 / 63#41. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,516 miles
- Driving time: 29.5 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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42 / 63#42. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,521 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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43 / 63#43. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,560 miles
- Driving time: 29.5 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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44 / 63#44. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,572 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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45 / 63#45. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,653 miles
- Driving time: 28.1 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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46 / 63#46. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,679 miles
- Driving time: 31.3 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,733 miles
- Driving time: 32.8 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
48 / 63#48. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,785 miles
- Driving time: 32.9 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
49 / 63#49. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,807 miles
- Driving time: 35.6 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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50 / 63#50. Redwood National Park (California)
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51 / 63#51. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,888 miles
- Driving time: 36.2 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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52 / 63#52. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 1,998 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
53 / 63#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,658 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,878 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
55 / 63#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,117 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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56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,184 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: 3,254 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
58 / 63#58. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,298 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,323 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
60 / 63#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
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61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,977 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
62 / 63#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,989 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 6,141 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
