Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 828 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

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 Siskiyou County. Straight line distance from Siskiyou 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.
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Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
1 / 25- Distance: 828 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
2 / 25- Distance: 811 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
3 / 25- Distance: 809 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
4 / 25- Distance: 713 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
5 / 25- Distance: 710 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
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Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
6 / 25- Distance: 681 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
Pung // Shutterstock
7 / 25- Distance: 649 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
8 / 25- Distance: 643 miles
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
9 / 25- Distance: 641 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
10 / 25- Distance: 640 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
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Zack Frank // Shutterstock
11 / 25- Distance: 621 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
12 / 25- Distance: 617 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
13 / 25- Distance: 588 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
14 / 25- Distance: 543 miles
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Canva
15 / 25- Distance: 496 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
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Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
16 / 25- Distance: 474 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
17 / 25- Distance: 456 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock
18 / 25- Distance: 433 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
19 / 25- Distance: 397 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
20 / 25- Distance: 366 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
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Yhelfman // Shutterstock
21 / 25- Distance: 359 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
22 / 25- Distance: 303 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
23 / 25- Distance: 96 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
24 / 25- Distance: 96 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
25 / 25- Distance: 79 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 3,119 counties.
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