National parks closest to Sutter County, CA

·Stacker

Canva
Canva

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 Sutter County. Straight line distance from Sutter 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.

#25. Glacier National Park (Montana)

Pung // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 773 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

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

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

2 / 25

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

- Distance: 754 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 731 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

#22. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 715 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

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

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

5 / 25

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

- Distance: 691 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

#20. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

Canva

6 / 25

#20. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 668 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

#19. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 659 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

#18. Arches National Park (Utah)

Manamana // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 653 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

#17. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

Manamana // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 642 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

#16. Olympic National Park (Washington)

f11photo // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 613 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 568 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

#14. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 566 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

#13. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 540 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

#12. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 527 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

#11. Zion National Park (Utah)

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 487 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

#10. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

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

#9. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 401 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

#8. Channel Islands National Park (California)

Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Channel Islands National Park (California)

- Distance: 362 miles
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres

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

Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

19 / 25

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

- Distance: 306 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

#6. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 270 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

#5. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 234 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

#4. Redwood National Park (California)

Bob Pool // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 203 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

#3. Pinnacles National Park (California)

Yhelfman // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 178 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres

#2. Yosemite National Park (California)

Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 142 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

#1. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 102 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 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.