Approximately 323 million people visited American national parks in 2025, a 2.7% year-over-year decrease and the first annual decline since 2020.
President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 signed the act creating the National Park Service to leave natural and historic phenomenons "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Since then, our national parks have welcomed visitors from around the world to experience some of the best the country has to offer and showcase the country's natural beauty and cultural heritage. Today, the country's 63 national parks contain at least 247 species of endangered or threatened plants and animals, more than 75,000 archaeological sites, and 18,000 miles of trails.
Stacker compiled a list of the closest national parks to Topeka. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Topeka, KS Metro Area and each national park. Estimated driving times are from Here and are only available within the lower 48 states. All featured distances and driving times are estimated using representative locations from the center of each metro and national park—for some places within the metro area, the actual distance may be slightly shorter or longer to reach the closest entryway to a park.
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1 / 63#1. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 304 miles
- Driving time: 4.8 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
2 / 63#2. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 348 miles
- Driving time: 7.8 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
3 / 63#3. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 476 miles
- Driving time: 9.6 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
4 / 63#4. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 496 miles
- Driving time: 9.2 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
5 / 63#5. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 507 miles
- Driving time: 10.6 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
6 / 63#6. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 529 miles
- Driving time: 8.7 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
7 / 63#7. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 534 miles
- Driving time: 9.9 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
8 / 63#8. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 544 miles
- Driving time: 9.7 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 644 miles
- Driving time: 12.3 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 669 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
11 / 63#11. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 670 miles
- Driving time: 13.5 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
12 / 63#12. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 678 miles
- Driving time: 12.5 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
13 / 63#13. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 703 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
14 / 63#14. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 708 miles
- Driving time: 13.6 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
15 / 63#15. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 714 miles
- Driving time: 13.1 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
SveKo // Shutterstock
16 / 63#16. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 723 miles
- Driving time: 14.8 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
17 / 63#17. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 723 miles
- Driving time: 13.0 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 742 miles
- Driving time: 12.8 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 766 miles
- Driving time: 20.0 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
20 / 63#20. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 769 miles
- Driving time: 12.9 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
21 / 63#21. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 798 miles
- Driving time: 15.3 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
22 / 63#22. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 799 miles
- Driving time: 13.5 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
23 / 63#23. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 819 miles
- Driving time: 14.1 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
24 / 63#24. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 833 miles
- Driving time: 14.4 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
25 / 63#25. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 842 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
26 / 63#26. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 848 miles
- Driving time: 16.3 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 895 miles
- Driving time: 16.5 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
28 / 63#28. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 911 miles
- Driving time: 17.2 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
29 / 63#29. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 919 miles
- Driving time: 17.7 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 941 miles
- Driving time: 17.1 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 945 miles
- Driving time: 17.0 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 949 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 994 miles
- Driving time: 17.0 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Pung // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,126 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 1,166 miles
- Driving time: 20.2 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
36 / 63#36. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,174 miles
- Driving time: 21.4 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,248 miles
- Driving time: 26.3 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,249 miles
- Driving time: 28.1 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
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39 / 63#39. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,262 miles
- Driving time: 26.9 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,282 miles
- Driving time: 24.4 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,285 miles
- Driving time: 27.0 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
42 / 63#42. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,299 miles
- Driving time: 23.4 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
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43 / 63#43. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,355 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,368 miles
- Driving time: 24.8 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
45 / 63#45. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,395 miles
- Driving time: 25.5 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
46 / 63#46. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,395 miles
- Driving time: 25.9 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,414 miles
- Driving time: 25.9 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
48 / 63#48. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,424 miles
- Driving time: 28.6 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
49 / 63#49. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,466 miles
- Driving time: 27.5 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
50 / 63#50. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,494 miles
- Driving time: 29.3 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock
51 / 63#51. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,511 miles
- Driving time: 29.0 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,257 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
53 / 63#53. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 2,345 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,475 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,716 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,780 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
57 / 63#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,852 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
58 / 63#58. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,898 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,921 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,074 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,764 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
62 / 63#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,764 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 6,050 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
