National parks closest to Carroll County, IL

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 Carroll County. Straight line distance from Carroll 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: What access to mental health care looks like in Carroll County, Illinois

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 1,103 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 1,086 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,081 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 1,060 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 1,058 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

You may also like: How Carroll County, Illinois' GDP has changed since 2018

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,056 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

7 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,051 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,041 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

9 / 25

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

- Distance: 968 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 881 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

You may also like: Food insecurity rates in Carroll County, IL

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 829 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Canva

12 / 25

#14. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 759 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 752 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 694 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 653 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

You may also like: Warmest Decembers in Carroll County, Illinois history

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 647 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Canva

17 / 25

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

- Distance: 564 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

18 / 25

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

- Distance: 555 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 548 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 465 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest Februaries in Carroll County, Illinois history

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 436 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Canva

22 / 25

#4. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 414 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 392 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 238 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 149 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 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: Here's how much snow Carroll County, Illinois received in January