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 Los Angeles. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 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. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 71 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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2 / 63#2. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 133 miles
- Driving time: 3.3 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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3 / 63#3. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 162 miles
- Driving time: 6.8 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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4 / 63#4. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 166 miles
- Driving time: 5.0 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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5 / 63#5. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 187 miles
- Driving time: 7.8 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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6 / 63#6. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 235 miles
- Driving time: 5.1 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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7 / 63#7. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 267 miles
- Driving time: 6.8 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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8 / 63#8. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 363 miles
- Driving time: 7.2 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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9 / 63#9. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 368 miles
- Driving time: 7.6 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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10 / 63#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 399 miles
- Driving time: 10.3 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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11 / 63#11. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 413 miles
- Driving time: 9.1 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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12 / 63#12. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 463 miles
- Driving time: 9.0 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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13 / 63#13. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 477 miles
- Driving time: 9.2 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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14 / 63#14. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 483 miles
- Driving time: 10.4 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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15 / 63#15. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
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16 / 63#16. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 541 miles
- Driving time: 16.0 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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17 / 63#17. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 574 miles
- Driving time: 10.7 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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18 / 63#18. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 585 miles
- Driving time: 12.1 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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19 / 63#19. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 589 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 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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20 / 63#20. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
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21 / 63#21. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 659 miles
- Driving time: 12.6 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. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 700 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 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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23 / 63#23. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 753 miles
- Driving time: 15.4 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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24 / 63#24. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 773 miles
- Driving time: 15.3 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. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
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26 / 63#26. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 807 miles
- Driving time: 14.0 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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27 / 63#27. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 818 miles
- Driving time: 16.3 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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28 / 63#28. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 832 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 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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29 / 63#29. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 899 miles
- Driving time: 18.3 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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30 / 63#30. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 940 miles
- Driving time: 18.1 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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31 / 63#31. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 995 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 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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32 / 63#32. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,019 miles
- Driving time: 20.5 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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33 / 63#33. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,024 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 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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34 / 63#34. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,036 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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35 / 63#35. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
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36 / 63#36. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,175 miles
- Driving time: 22.2 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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37 / 63#37. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,434 miles
- Driving time: 24.3 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: 1,585 miles
- Driving time: 26.0 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: 1,636 miles
- Driving time: 31.6 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)
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41 / 63#41. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,806 miles
- Driving time: 34.5 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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42 / 63#42. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,809 miles
- Driving time: 30.0 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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43 / 63#43. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,895 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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44 / 63#44. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,961 miles
- Driving time: 32.2 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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45 / 63#45. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
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46 / 63#46. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 2,080 miles
- Driving time: 34.6 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
47 / 63#47. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,136 miles
- Driving time: 35.1 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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48 / 63#48. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,139 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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49 / 63#49. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,216 miles
- Driving time: 43.5 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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50 / 63#50. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 2,226 miles
- Driving time: 37.6 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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51 / 63#51. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,278 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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52 / 63#52. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,306 miles
- Driving time: 41.3 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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53 / 63#53. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,346 miles
- Driving time: 40.3 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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54 / 63#54. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,384 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
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55 / 63#55. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
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56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,448 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. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,485 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
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58 / 63#58. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,492 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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59 / 63#59. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,710 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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60 / 63#60. Acadia National Park (Maine)
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61 / 63#61. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,825 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: 3,451 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: 4,793 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
