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 Idaho Falls. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Idaho Falls, 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.
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1 / 63#1. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 82 miles
- Driving time: 3.3 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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2 / 63#2. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 117 miles
- Driving time: 4.0 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
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3 / 63#3. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 335 miles
- Driving time: 8.1 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
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4 / 63#4. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 366 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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5 / 63#5. Arches National Park (Utah)
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6 / 63#6. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 380 miles
- Driving time: 7.9 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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7 / 63#7. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 396 miles
- Driving time: 12.9 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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8 / 63#8. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 416 miles
- Driving time: 10.5 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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9 / 63#9. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 418 miles
- Driving time: 8.6 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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10 / 63#10. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
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11 / 63#11. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 437 miles
- Driving time: 8.6 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
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12 / 63#12. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 448 miles
- Driving time: 10.8 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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13 / 63#13. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 490 miles
- Driving time: 11.4 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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14 / 63#14. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 490 miles
- Driving time: 10.1 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
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15 / 63#15. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
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16 / 63#16. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 497 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 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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17 / 63#17. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 506 miles
- Driving time: 11.4 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
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18 / 63#18. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 515 miles
- Driving time: 13.3 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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19 / 63#19. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 522 miles
- Driving time: 12.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
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20 / 63#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
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21 / 63#21. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 545 miles
- Driving time: 16.3 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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22 / 63#22. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 548 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 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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23 / 63#23. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 560 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
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24 / 63#24. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 571 miles
- Driving time: 19.6 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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25 / 63#25. Sequoia National Park (California)
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26 / 63#26. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 606 miles
- Driving time: 12.5 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
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27 / 63#27. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 612 miles
- Driving time: 15.9 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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28 / 63#28. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 613 miles
- Driving time: 14.6 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
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29 / 63#29. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 676 miles
- Driving time: 15.6 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
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30 / 63#30. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
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31 / 63#31. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 762 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
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32 / 63#32. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 791 miles
- Driving time: 17.4 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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33 / 63#33. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 821 miles
- Driving time: 17.1 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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34 / 63#34. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 901 miles
- Driving time: 18.3 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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35 / 63#35. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
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36 / 63#36. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 995 miles
- Driving time: 19.6 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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37 / 63#37. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,113 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 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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38 / 63#38. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,187 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
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39 / 63#39. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,206 miles
- Driving time: 21.7 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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40 / 63#40. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,212 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 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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41 / 63#41. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,295 miles
- Driving time: 23.2 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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42 / 63#42. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,451 miles
- Driving time: 26.6 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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43 / 63#43. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,469 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
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44 / 63#44. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,578 miles
- Driving time: 27.7 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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45 / 63#45. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
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46 / 63#46. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,676 miles
- Driving time: 30.3 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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47 / 63#47. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,709 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
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48 / 63#48. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,800 miles
- Driving time: 33.8 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
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49 / 63#49. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,826 miles
- Driving time: 33.5 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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50 / 63#50. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
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51 / 63#51. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,027 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
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52 / 63#52. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,059 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
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53 / 63#53. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,072 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
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54 / 63#54. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,121 miles
- Driving time: 43.8 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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55 / 63#55. Everglades National Park (Florida)
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56 / 63#56. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,177 miles
- Driving time: 42.2 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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57 / 63#57. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,198 miles
- Driving time: 39.8 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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58 / 63#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,234 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
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59 / 63#59. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,372 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
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60 / 63#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
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61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,979 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
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62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,263 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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63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,415 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
