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 Redding. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Redding, 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. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 34 miles
- Driving time: 2.1 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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2 / 63#2. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 109 miles
- Driving time: 4.5 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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3 / 63#3. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 150 miles
- Driving time: 4.2 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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4 / 63#4. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 244 miles
- Driving time: 6.6 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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5 / 63#5. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 299 miles
- Driving time: 5.6 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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6 / 63#6. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 332 miles
- Driving time: 9.9 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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7 / 63#7. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 350 miles
- Driving time: 9.8 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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8 / 63#8. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 421 miles
- Driving time: 10.4 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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9 / 63#9. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 421 miles
- Driving time: 9.9 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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10 / 63#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 429 miles
- Driving time: 9.9 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. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 487 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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12 / 63#12. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 503 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 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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13 / 63#13. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 539 miles
- Driving time: 13.5 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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14 / 63#14. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 550 miles
- Driving time: 12.3 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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15 / 63#15. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 573 miles
- Driving time: 14.4 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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16 / 63#16. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 588 miles
- Driving time: 11.7 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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17 / 63#17. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 607 miles
- Driving time: 14.1 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 611 miles
- Driving time: 14.8 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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19 / 63#19. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 627 miles
- Driving time: 14.8 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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20 / 63#20. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 644 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 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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21 / 63#21. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 671 miles
- Driving time: 19.6 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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22 / 63#22. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 679 miles
- Driving time: 14.5 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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23 / 63#23. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 681 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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24 / 63#24. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 770 miles
- Driving time: 17.0 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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25 / 63#25. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 775 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 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. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 778 miles
- Driving time: 16.4 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 865 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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28 / 63#28. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 869 miles
- Driving time: 17.3 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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29 / 63#29. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 910 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 971 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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31 / 63#31. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,020 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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32 / 63#32. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,021 miles
- Driving time: 21.0 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,036 miles
- Driving time: 20.2 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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34 / 63#34. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,132 miles
- Driving time: 22.2 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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35 / 63#35. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,142 miles
- Driving time: 22.4 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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36 / 63#36. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,324 miles
- Driving time: 26.5 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,391 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,523 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. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,634 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,639 miles
- Driving time: 31.6 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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41 / 63#41. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,695 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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42 / 63#42. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,717 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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43 / 63#43. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,776 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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44 / 63#44. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,812 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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45 / 63#45. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,888 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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46 / 63#46. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,923 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,938 miles
- Driving time: 34.3 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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48 / 63#48. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,943 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
49 / 63#49. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 2,098 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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50 / 63#50. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 2,107 miles
- Driving time: 37.6 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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51 / 63#51. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 2,180 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
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,205 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
53 / 63#53. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,303 miles
- Driving time: 41.4 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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54 / 63#54. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 2,311 miles
- Driving time: 41.6 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,320 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,431 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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57 / 63#57. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,448 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. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,511 miles
- Driving time: 50.7 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,583 miles
- Driving time: 48.9 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,614 miles
- Driving time: 47.9 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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61 / 63#61. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,709 miles
- Driving time: 50.0 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: 3,706 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: 4,900 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
