National parks closest to Kent 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 Kent County. Straight line distance from Kent 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: Hottest months in Kent County, MI since 1895

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,280 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Canva

2 / 25

#24. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,278 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,273 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 1,262 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

5 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,250 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

You may also like: Kent County, MI monthly real estate update

Canva

6 / 25

#20. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,246 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,246 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

8 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,199 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,114 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,056 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

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

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 918 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 901 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 870 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 853 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 713 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

You may also like: Here's how much snow Kent County, Michigan received in January

Canva

16 / 25

#10. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 688 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Canva

17 / 25

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

- Distance: 524 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 515 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 486 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

20 / 25

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

- Distance: 429 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

You may also like: Here's how unemployment in Kent County, Michigan compares

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 404 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 389 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Canva

23 / 25

#3. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 379 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 238 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 125 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 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: Places with the fastest growing home prices in Kent County, MI