National parks closest to Napa County, CA

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 Napa County. Straight line distance from Napa 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.

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

1 / 25

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

- Distance: 790 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

kojihirano // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 783 miles
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 762 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)

- Distance: 740 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 736 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

You may also like: Hottest months in Napa County, CA since 1895

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 707 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Canva

7 / 25

#19. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 707 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 689 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 675 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

f11photo // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 645 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 601 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 588 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 577 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 557 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 515 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

You may also like: Napa County, CA monthly unemployment update

Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

- Distance: 481 miles
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 437 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Channel Islands National Park (California)

- Distance: 340 miles
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres

Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)

- Distance: 317 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 306 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 240 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

Bob Pool // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 217 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 157 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

Yhelfman // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 153 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres