National parks closest to Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa County. Straight line distance from Santa Rosa 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 Februaries in Santa Rosa County, Florida history

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 1,354 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,308 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

3 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,296 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 1,266 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,266 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

You may also like: Santa Rosa County, FL monthly real estate update

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,242 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,234 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Canva

8 / 25

#18. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 1,200 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,168 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,145 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

You may also like: Here's how unemployment in Santa Rosa County, Florida compares

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,059 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,040 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 976 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 791 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 756 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

You may also like: The share of seniors in Santa Rosa County, Florida with Alzheimer's

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 726 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

17 / 25

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

- Distance: 603 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 577 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Canva

19 / 25

#7. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 548 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 523 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

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

Canva

21 / 25

#5. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 488 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 452 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 441 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Canva

24 / 25

#2. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 425 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Canva

25 / 25

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

- Distance: 396 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 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: What access to mental health care looks like in Santa Rosa County, Florida