Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 573 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

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 Cassia County. Straight line distance from Cassia 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.
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Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
1 / 25- Distance: 573 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
2 / 25- Distance: 568 miles
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
3 / 25- Distance: 544 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
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4 / 25- Distance: 540 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
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5 / 25- Distance: 526 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
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Zack Frank // Shutterstock
6 / 25- Distance: 524 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
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7 / 25- Distance: 508 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
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8 / 25- Distance: 467 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
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9 / 25- Distance: 443 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
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10 / 25- Distance: 442 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
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11 / 25- Distance: 442 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
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12 / 25- Distance: 441 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
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13 / 25- Distance: 438 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
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14 / 25- Distance: 436 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
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15 / 25- Distance: 433 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
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Zack Frank // Shutterstock
16 / 25- Distance: 423 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
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17 / 25- Distance: 403 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
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18 / 25- Distance: 345 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
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19 / 25- Distance: 342 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
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20 / 25- Distance: 333 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
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Manamana // Shutterstock
21 / 25- Distance: 325 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
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22 / 25- Distance: 303 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
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23 / 25- Distance: 233 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
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24 / 25- Distance: 223 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
25 / 25- Distance: 182 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.
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