National parks closest to Gogebic County, MI

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 Gogebic County. Straight line distance from Gogebic 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: Here's how many people are behind on debt payments in Gogebic County, Michigan

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 1,230 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 1,170 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,151 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 1,139 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Pung // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 1,128 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

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

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

6 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,062 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 1,054 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 1,035 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

9 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,013 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,006 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

You may also like: How Gogebic County, Michigan's GDP has changed since 2018

Canva

11 / 25

#15. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 997 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 903 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 843 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Canva

14 / 25

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

- Distance: 819 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 798 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest January in Gogebic County, Michigan history

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

16 / 25

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

- Distance: 746 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 697 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 668 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 650 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 648 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

You may also like: Warmest Decembers in Gogebic County, Michigan history

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 546 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 543 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 361 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 198 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Canva

25 / 25

#1. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 115 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 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 much snow Gogebic County, Michigan received in January