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 Lakeland. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 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. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 187 miles
- Driving time: 3.8 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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2 / 63#2. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 187 miles
- Driving time: 4.8 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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3 / 63#3. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 240 miles
- Driving time: 6.6 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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4 / 63#4. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 405 miles
- Driving time: 7.4 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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5 / 63#5. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 543 miles
- Driving time: 10.9 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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6 / 63#6. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 686 miles
- Driving time: 12.6 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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7 / 63#7. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 698 miles
- Driving time: 12.4 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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8 / 63#8. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 754 miles
- Driving time: 14.0 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 809 miles
- Driving time: 15.9 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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10 / 63#10. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 884 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 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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11 / 63#11. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 916 miles
- Driving time: 16.4 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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12 / 63#12. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 992 miles
- Driving time: 18.0 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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13 / 63#13. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 1,264 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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14 / 63#14. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,311 miles
- Driving time: 25.8 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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15 / 63#15. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,355 miles
- Driving time: 26.9 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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16 / 63#16. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,391 miles
- Driving time: 25.0 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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17 / 63#17. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,414 miles
- Driving time: 26.1 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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18 / 63#18. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,438 miles
- Driving time: 27.1 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,496 miles
- Driving time: 27.4 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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20 / 63#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
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21 / 63#21. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,538 miles
- Driving time: 27.8 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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22 / 63#22. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,588 miles
- Driving time: 29.0 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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23 / 63#23. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,607 miles
- Driving time: 29.2 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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24 / 63#24. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,621 miles
- Driving time: 30.1 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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25 / 63#25. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,667 miles
- Driving time: 31.6 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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26 / 63#26. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,681 miles
- Driving time: 31.2 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,722 miles
- Driving time: 29.5 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
28 / 63#28. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,745 miles
- Driving time: 30.4 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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29 / 63#29. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,763 miles
- Driving time: 32.3 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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30 / 63#30. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,765 miles
- Driving time: 33.1 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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31 / 63#31. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,775 miles
- Driving time: 37.8 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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32 / 63#32. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,840 miles
- Driving time: 35.5 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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33 / 63#33. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,864 miles
- Driving time: 33.1 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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34 / 63#34. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,884 miles
- Driving time: 36.5 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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35 / 63#35. Zion National Park (Utah)
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36 / 63#36. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,947 miles
- Driving time: 35.0 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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37 / 63#37. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,959 miles
- Driving time: 36.1 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 2,017 miles
- Driving time: 38.0 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,062 miles
- Driving time: 35.4 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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40 / 63#40. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
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41 / 63#41. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,225 miles
- Driving time: 43.8 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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42 / 63#42. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,230 miles
- Driving time: 42.8 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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43 / 63#43. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 2,239 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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44 / 63#44. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,265 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
45 / 63#45. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,284 miles
- Driving time: 43.0 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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46 / 63#46. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,368 miles
- Driving time: 41.4 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,414 miles
- Driving time: 44.8 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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48 / 63#48. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 2,473 miles
- Driving time: 46.3 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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49 / 63#49. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,521 miles
- Driving time: 45.8 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
50 / 63#50. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,537 miles
- Driving time: 48.6 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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51 / 63#51. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,551 miles
- Driving time: 49.8 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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52 / 63#52. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,622 miles
- Driving time: 49.5 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
53 / 63#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,356 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,565 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
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56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,860 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
57 / 63#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,946 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
58 / 63#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,969 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 4,003 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
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61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 4,630 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
62 / 63#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 4,653 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 6,616 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
