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 Modesto. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Modesto, 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. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 75 miles
- Driving time: 2.2 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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2 / 63#2. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 84 miles
- Driving time: 3.1 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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3 / 63#3. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 145 miles
- Driving time: 6.0 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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4 / 63#4. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 150 miles
- Driving time: 5.8 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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5 / 63#5. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 204 miles
- Driving time: 4.4 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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6 / 63#6. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 249 miles
- Driving time: 7.5 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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7 / 63#7. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 261 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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8 / 63#8. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 304 miles
- Driving time: 9.0 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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9 / 63#9. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 376 miles
- Driving time: 7.3 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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10 / 63#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
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11 / 63#11. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 387 miles
- Driving time: 7.7 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. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 438 miles
- Driving time: 10.4 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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13 / 63#13. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 484 miles
- Driving time: 12.5 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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14 / 63#14. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 502 miles
- Driving time: 10.7 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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15 / 63#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 539 miles
- Driving time: 13.2 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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16 / 63#16. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 607 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 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: 627 miles
- Driving time: 14.1 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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18 / 63#18. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 642 miles
- Driving time: 13.6 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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19 / 63#19. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 649 miles
- Driving time: 11.6 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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20 / 63#20. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
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21 / 63#21. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 689 miles
- Driving time: 15.3 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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22 / 63#22. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 699 miles
- Driving time: 13.5 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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23 / 63#23. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 727 miles
- Driving time: 16.0 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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24 / 63#24. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 729 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 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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25 / 63#25. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
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26 / 63#26. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 769 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 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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27 / 63#27. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 849 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 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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28 / 63#28. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 852 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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29 / 63#29. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 852 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 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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30 / 63#30. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 901 miles
- Driving time: 16.5 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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31 / 63#31. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 995 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 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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32 / 63#32. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,008 miles
- Driving time: 19.6 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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33 / 63#33. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,010 miles
- Driving time: 18.6 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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34 / 63#34. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,059 miles
- Driving time: 20.9 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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35 / 63#35. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,106 miles
- Driving time: 21.7 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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36 / 63#36. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,172 miles
- Driving time: 22.6 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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37 / 63#37. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,574 miles
- Driving time: 27.4 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. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,599 miles
- Driving time: 30.8 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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39 / 63#39. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,616 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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40 / 63#40. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,673 miles
- Driving time: 29.4 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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41 / 63#41. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,785 miles
- Driving time: 35.7 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. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,822 miles
- Driving time: 30.9 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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43 / 63#43. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,859 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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44 / 63#44. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,910 miles
- Driving time: 33.1 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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45 / 63#45. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
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46 / 63#46. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 2,073 miles
- Driving time: 35.4 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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47 / 63#47. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,098 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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48 / 63#48. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 2,109 miles
- Driving time: 35.5 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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49 / 63#49. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,140 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
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50 / 63#50. Denali National Park (Alaska)
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51 / 63#51. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 2,167 miles
- Driving time: 38.0 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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52 / 63#52. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,261 miles
- Driving time: 38.2 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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53 / 63#53. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 2,306 miles
- Driving time: 41.5 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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54 / 63#54. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,402 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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55 / 63#55. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
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56 / 63#56. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,410 miles
- Driving time: 46.6 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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57 / 63#57. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,431 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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58 / 63#58. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,491 miles
- Driving time: 44.7 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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59 / 63#59. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,526 miles
- Driving time: 43.7 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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60 / 63#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
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61 / 63#61. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,753 miles
- Driving time: 49.9 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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62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,628 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: 4,806 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
