National parks closest to Moultrie 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 Moultrie County. Straight line distance from Moultrie 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 898 people in Moultrie County, Illinois are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,094 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,094 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Canva

3 / 25

#23. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,090 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

Canva

4 / 25

#22. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,087 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,086 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

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

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,081 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,055 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,030 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

9 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,027 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 924 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

You may also like: Hottest months in Moultrie County, IL since 1895

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 907 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 906 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 813 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 768 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 646 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

You may also like: Here's how unemployment in Moultrie County, Illinois compares

Canva

16 / 25

#10. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 594 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Canva

17 / 25

#9. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 578 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 552 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

19 / 25

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

- Distance: 429 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 429 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

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

Canva

21 / 25

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

- Distance: 395 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 388 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 216 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 160 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 109 miles
- Park area: 192.83 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: Places with the fastest growing home prices in Moultrie County, IL