National parks closest to Blaine County, ID

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 Blaine County. Straight line distance from Blaine 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: 1 in 186 people in Blaine County, Idaho are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 576 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 575 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

f11photo // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 560 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

Bob Pool // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 534 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 528 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Blaine County, Idaho in the last week

Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 522 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 519 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 514 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Canva

9 / 25

#17. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 506 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

10 / 25

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

- Distance: 505 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

You may also like: Here's how many people are behind on debt payments in Blaine County, Idaho

Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 483 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 474 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

13 / 25

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

- Distance: 465 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 448 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 433 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

You may also like: What access to mental health care looks like in Blaine County, Idaho

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 423 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 414 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 414 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 412 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 395 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

You may also like: Here's how unemployment in Blaine County, Idaho compares

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 380 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

Pung // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 365 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 307 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

24 / 25

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

- Distance: 189 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 166 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 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: Warmest and coldest Februaries in Blaine County, Idaho history