National parks closest to Wapello County, IA

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 Wapello County. Straight line distance from Wapello 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: Wapello County, IA monthly real estate update

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 956 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 953 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

3 / 25

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

- Distance: 952 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 950 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 935 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest Februaries in Wapello County, Iowa history

Manamana // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 925 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 910 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 900 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

9 / 25

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

- Distance: 831 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Canva

10 / 25

#16. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 812 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

You may also like: Here's how unemployment in Wapello County, Iowa compares

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 762 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 739 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 699 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 692 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

15 / 25

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

- Distance: 647 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

You may also like: Here's how much snow Wapello County, Iowa received in January

Canva

16 / 25

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

- Distance: 611 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 591 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 565 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 547 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 515 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

You may also like: Hottest months in Wapello County, IA since 1895

Canva

21 / 25

#5. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 513 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 450 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 429 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 279 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 204 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: The share of seniors in Wapello County, Iowa with Alzheimer's