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 San Luis Obispo. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, 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: 85 miles
- Driving time: 2.4 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. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 112 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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3 / 63#3. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 122 miles
- Driving time: 6.2 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. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 144 miles
- Driving time: 7.0 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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5 / 63#5. Yosemite National Park (California)
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6 / 63#6. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 212 miles
- Driving time: 7.3 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. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 282 miles
- Driving time: 7.0 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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8 / 63#8. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 357 miles
- Driving time: 7.6 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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9 / 63#9. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 420 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 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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10 / 63#10. Zion National Park (Utah)
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11 / 63#11. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 451 miles
- Driving time: 12.3 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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12 / 63#12. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 469 miles
- Driving time: 10.5 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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13 / 63#13. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 484 miles
- Driving time: 12.2 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. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 528 miles
- Driving time: 10.5 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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15 / 63#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
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16 / 63#16. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 604 miles
- Driving time: 11.4 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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17 / 63#17. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 611 miles
- Driving time: 12.6 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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18 / 63#18. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 614 miles
- Driving time: 18.6 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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19 / 63#19. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 642 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 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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20 / 63#20. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
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21 / 63#21. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 737 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 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. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 771 miles
- Driving time: 18.1 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. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 794 miles
- Driving time: 16.9 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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24 / 63#24. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 825 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 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. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
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26 / 63#26. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 846 miles
- Driving time: 18.5 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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27 / 63#27. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 882 miles
- Driving time: 19.3 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. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 882 miles
- Driving time: 18.5 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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29 / 63#29. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 920 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 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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30 / 63#30. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
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31 / 63#31. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 947 miles
- Driving time: 17.6 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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32 / 63#32. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 982 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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33 / 63#33. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,065 miles
- Driving time: 21.6 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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34 / 63#34. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,090 miles
- Driving time: 21.7 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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35 / 63#35. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
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36 / 63#36. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,189 miles
- Driving time: 25.0 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: 1,551 miles
- Driving time: 27.2 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: 1,670 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. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,681 miles
- Driving time: 29.1 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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40 / 63#40. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
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41 / 63#41. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,848 miles
- Driving time: 32.5 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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42 / 63#42. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,849 miles
- Driving time: 37.7 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. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,911 miles
- Driving time: 32.9 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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44 / 63#44. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,009 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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45 / 63#45. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 2,068 miles
- Driving time: 35.1 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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46 / 63#46. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 2,134 miles
- Driving time: 37.2 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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47 / 63#47. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,139 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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48 / 63#48. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 2,177 miles
- Driving time: 37.7 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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49 / 63#49. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,239 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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50 / 63#50. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
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51 / 63#51. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,286 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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52 / 63#52. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,314 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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53 / 63#53. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 2,319 miles
- Driving time: 41.2 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. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,355 miles
- Driving time: 46.8 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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55 / 63#55. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
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56 / 63#56. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,387 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. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,443 miles
- Driving time: 44.8 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. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,481 miles
- Driving time: 43.8 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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59 / 63#59. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,583 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. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
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61 / 63#61. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,796 miles
- Driving time: 51.6 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: 3,585 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: 4,740 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
