National parks closest to Boyd County, KY

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 Boyd County. Straight line distance from Boyd 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 58 people in Boyd County, Kentucky are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,382 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

2 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,354 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,332 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,329 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,305 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

You may also like: Places with the fastest growing home prices in Boyd County, KY

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,246 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,237 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 1,213 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,140 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,095 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

You may also like: How personal income has changed in Boyd County, Kentucky

Canva

11 / 25

#15. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 946 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 901 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

Canva

13 / 25

#13. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 898 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 864 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 857 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

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

Canva

16 / 25

#10. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 734 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 635 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 407 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Canva

19 / 25

#7. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 333 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 326 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest January in Boyd County, Kentucky history

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 229 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 209 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 205 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Canva

24 / 25

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

- Distance: 196 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

25 / 25

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

- Distance: 98 miles
- Park area: 7,021 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 and coldest Februaries in Boyd County, Kentucky history