National parks closest to Wayne 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 Wayne County. Straight line distance from Wayne 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: Places with the fastest growing home prices in Wayne County, IA

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

1 / 25

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

- Distance: 914 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 914 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 905 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 900 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 885 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

You may also like: Wayne County, IA monthly unemployment update

Manamana // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 876 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 860 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 848 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Canva

9 / 25

#17. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 842 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 807 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

You may also like: Food insecurity rates in Wayne County, IA

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

11 / 25

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

- Distance: 781 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

12 / 25

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

- Distance: 689 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 687 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 671 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 651 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

You may also like: National parks closest to Wayne County, IA

Canva

16 / 25

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

- Distance: 641 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 615 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 554 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Canva

19 / 25

#7. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 549 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 535 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

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

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 511 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 458 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

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

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 331 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 222 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: Here's how unemployment in Wayne County, Iowa compares