National parks closest to Indian River County, FL

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 Indian River County. Straight line distance from Indian River 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.

You may also like: Warmest and coldest January in Indian River County, Florida history

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

1 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,735 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,679 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,676 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,644 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,607 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

You may also like: National parks closest to Indian River County, FL

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 1,577 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,576 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,486 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Canva

9 / 25

#17. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 1,470 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,468 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

You may also like: Here's how many people are behind on debt payments in Indian River County, Florida

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,380 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 1,339 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)

- Distance: 1,195 miles
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 1,029 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 936 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

You may also like: Warmest Decembers in Indian River County, Florida history

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 935 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 876 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 754 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 730 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)

- Distance: 701 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

You may also like: How Indian River County, Florida's GDP has changed since 2018

Canva

21 / 25

#5. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)

- Distance: 571 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Canva

22 / 25

#4. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 420 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Canva

23 / 25

#3. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 255 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 161 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

Canva

25 / 25

#1. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 154 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 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.

You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Indian River County, Florida in the last week