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 Boise. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Boise City, ID 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.
You may also like: Biggest sources of immigrants to Boise
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
1 / 63#1. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 274 miles
- Driving time: 6.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
2 / 63#2. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 294 miles
- Driving time: 7.5 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
3 / 63#3. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 302 miles
- Driving time: 8.2 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
4 / 63#4. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 303 miles
- Driving time: 6.7 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
5 / 63#5. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
6 / 63#6. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 382 miles
- Driving time: 8.3 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
7 / 63#7. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 399 miles
- Driving time: 12.5 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Pung // Shutterstock
8 / 63#8. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 413 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 420 miles
- Driving time: 12.5 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
11 / 63#11. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 426 miles
- Driving time: 9.5 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
12 / 63#12. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 429 miles
- Driving time: 9.3 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
13 / 63#13. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 447 miles
- Driving time: 16.3 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
14 / 63#14. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 456 miles
- Driving time: 8.7 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
15 / 63#15. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
Manamana // Shutterstock
16 / 63#16. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 465 miles
- Driving time: 13.8 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
17 / 63#17. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 468 miles
- Driving time: 11.2 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 473 miles
- Driving time: 16.1 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 495 miles
- Driving time: 11.4 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
20 / 63#20. Pinnacles National Park (California)
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
21 / 63#21. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 525 miles
- Driving time: 13.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
22 / 63#22. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 537 miles
- Driving time: 10.5 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
23 / 63#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 570 miles
- Driving time: 11.0 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
24 / 63#24. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 575 miles
- Driving time: 11.8 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
25 / 63#25. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 636 miles
- Driving time: 15.4 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
You may also like: Boise's 2025 housing market year in review
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
26 / 63#26. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 639 miles
- Driving time: 13.1 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 645 miles
- Driving time: 13.5 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
28 / 63#28. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 645 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
29 / 63#29. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 668 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 678 miles
- Driving time: 13.3 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
You may also like: Movies and TV shows casting in Boise
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 688 miles
- Driving time: 14.4 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 803 miles
- Driving time: 18.2 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 890 miles
- Driving time: 17.8 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 982 miles
- Driving time: 20.3 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 983 miles
- Driving time: 19.2 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
You may also like: Cheapest gas stations in Boise
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
36 / 63#36. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,181 miles
- Driving time: 22.5 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,188 miles
- Driving time: 24.5 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,372 miles
- Driving time: 25.3 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
SveKo // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,376 miles
- Driving time: 26.8 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,396 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
42 / 63#42. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,485 miles
- Driving time: 24.4 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
43 / 63#43. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,632 miles
- Driving time: 27.8 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,641 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
45 / 63#45. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,769 miles
- Driving time: 29.0 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
You may also like: Is it cheaper to buy or rent in Boise in 2026?
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
46 / 63#46. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,806 miles
- Driving time: 30.9 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,827 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
48 / 63#48. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,863 miles
- Driving time: 31.6 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
49 / 63#49. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,959 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
50 / 63#50. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
51 / 63#51. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,974 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,989 miles
- Driving time: 35.0 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
53 / 63#53. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,005 miles
- Driving time: 35.0 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,187 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,272 miles
- Driving time: 45.2 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
You may also like: Highest-rated chicken wings in Boise by diners
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,318 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
57 / 63#57. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,332 miles
- Driving time: 42.1 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
58 / 63#58. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,358 miles
- Driving time: 41.1 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,369 miles
- Driving time: 43.5 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,790 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,433 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,236 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
