National parks closest to Chase County, KS

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 Chase County. Straight line distance from Chase 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: Food insecurity rates in Chase County, KS

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

1 / 25

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

- Distance: 843 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 828 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 824 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 796 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

Canva

5 / 25

#21. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 776 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest January in Chase County, Kansas history

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 767 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

Canva

7 / 25

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

- Distance: 747 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 728 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 728 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 722 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

You may also like: National parks closest to Chase County, KS

Manamana // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 704 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 704 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 667 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 653 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 643 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Chase County, Kansas in the last week

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 618 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

17 / 25

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

- Distance: 604 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 578 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 554 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 511 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

You may also like: How Chase County, Kansas' GDP has changed since 2018

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 508 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 492 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 482 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 348 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 326 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 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: Warmest Decembers in Chase County, Kansas history