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 Salinas. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Salinas, 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: 19 miles
- Driving time: 2.6 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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2 / 63#2. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 148 miles
- Driving time: 7.8 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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3 / 63#3. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 149 miles
- Driving time: 6.7 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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4 / 63#4. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 159 miles
- Driving time: 8.6 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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5 / 63#5. Channel Islands National Park (California)
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6 / 63#6. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 251 miles
- Driving time: 8.8 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. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 293 miles
- Driving time: 7.4 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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8 / 63#8. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 350 miles
- Driving time: 8.8 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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9 / 63#9. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 378 miles
- Driving time: 12.1 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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10 / 63#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
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11 / 63#11. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 464 miles
- Driving time: 10.3 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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12 / 63#12. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 464 miles
- Driving time: 11.8 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. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 513 miles
- Driving time: 12.1 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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14 / 63#14. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 514 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 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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15 / 63#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 575 miles
- Driving time: 14.6 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: 642 miles
- Driving time: 20.2 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. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 654 miles
- Driving time: 13.0 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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18 / 63#18. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 667 miles
- Driving time: 15.4 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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19 / 63#19. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 677 miles
- Driving time: 14.7 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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20 / 63#20. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 714 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 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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21 / 63#21. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 733 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 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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22 / 63#22. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 759 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 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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23 / 63#23. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 764 miles
- Driving time: 17.3 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. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 810 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 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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25 / 63#25. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 817 miles
- Driving time: 18.3 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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26 / 63#26. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 860 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 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: 879 miles
- Driving time: 20.0 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. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 895 miles
- Driving time: 17.5 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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29 / 63#29. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 900 miles
- Driving time: 21.3 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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30 / 63#30. Glacier National Park (Montana)
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31 / 63#31. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 988 miles
- Driving time: 19.5 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. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,005 miles
- Driving time: 19.6 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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33 / 63#33. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,071 miles
- Driving time: 23.2 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. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,121 miles
- Driving time: 24.6 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. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
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36 / 63#36. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,180 miles
- Driving time: 25.3 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: 1,595 miles
- Driving time: 28.8 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: 1,669 miles
- Driving time: 34.4 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: 1,695 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: 1,711 miles
- Driving time: 30.7 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: 1,852 miles
- Driving time: 39.4 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: 1,870 miles
- Driving time: 34.1 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: 1,937 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: 1,945 miles
- Driving time: 34.5 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: 2,105 miles
- Driving time: 36.8 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. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 2,157 miles
- Driving time: 38.8 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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48 / 63#48. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,164 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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49 / 63#49. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 2,207 miles
- Driving time: 39.3 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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50 / 63#50. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
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51 / 63#51. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,241 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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52 / 63#52. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,289 miles
- Driving time: 39.6 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: 2,348 miles
- Driving time: 42.8 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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54 / 63#54. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,357 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: 2,412 miles
- Driving time: 48.0 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. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,497 miles
- Driving time: 46.1 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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58 / 63#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,511 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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59 / 63#59. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,534 miles
- Driving time: 45.1 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: 2,810 miles
- Driving time: 53.1 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: 3,638 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
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63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 4,737 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
