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 Gulfport. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Gulfport-Biloxi, MS 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.
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
1 / 63#1. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 365 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
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
2 / 63#2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 478 miles
- Driving time: 9.4 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
3 / 63#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 491 miles
- Driving time: 8.8 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
4 / 63#4. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 533 miles
- Driving time: 9.6 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock
5 / 63#5. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 551 miles
- Driving time: 15.0 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
6 / 63#6. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 566 miles
- Driving time: 9.8 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
7 / 63#7. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 608 miles
- Driving time: 12.9 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
8 / 63#8. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 638 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 692 miles
- Driving time: 12.5 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 778 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
11 / 63#11. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 822 miles
- Driving time: 14.8 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
12 / 63#12. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 851 miles
- Driving time: 15.1 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
13 / 63#13. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 859 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
14 / 63#14. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 920 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
15 / 63#15. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 944 miles
- Driving time: 17.0 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
16 / 63#16. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,023 miles
- Driving time: 17.8 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
17 / 63#17. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,068 miles
- Driving time: 19.2 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,156 miles
- Driving time: 21.9 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,177 miles
- Driving time: 22.8 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
20 / 63#20. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,202 miles
- Driving time: 23.0 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
21 / 63#21. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,203 miles
- Driving time: 23.7 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
22 / 63#22. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,210 miles
- Driving time: 22.4 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
SveKo // Shutterstock
23 / 63#23. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,216 miles
- Driving time: 21.7 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
24 / 63#24. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,248 miles
- Driving time: 20.6 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
25 / 63#25. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,260 miles
- Driving time: 22.6 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
26 / 63#26. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,275 miles
- Driving time: 21.2 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,298 miles
- Driving time: 24.3 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
28 / 63#28. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,306 miles
- Driving time: 29.0 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
29 / 63#29. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,370 miles
- Driving time: 26.7 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,375 miles
- Driving time: 26.5 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,390 miles
- Driving time: 24.2 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,413 miles
- Driving time: 27.6 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,455 miles
- Driving time: 27.7 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,483 miles
- Driving time: 28.1 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,504 miles
- Driving time: 28.2 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
36 / 63#36. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,522 miles
- Driving time: 29.2 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 1,548 miles
- Driving time: 29.3 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,589 miles
- Driving time: 26.3 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 1,651 miles
- Driving time: 28.2 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 1,737 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,751 miles
- Driving time: 35.0 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
42 / 63#42. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,755 miles
- Driving time: 34.1 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
43 / 63#43. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,791 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,811 miles
- Driving time: 34.0 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Pung // Shutterstock
45 / 63#45. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,821 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
46 / 63#46. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,894 miles
- Driving time: 32.6 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,945 miles
- Driving time: 35.6 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
48 / 63#48. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 2,011 miles
- Driving time: 39.0 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
49 / 63#49. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,077 miles
- Driving time: 39.0 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
50 / 63#50. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,083 miles
- Driving time: 40.9 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
51 / 63#51. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,104 miles
- Driving time: 41.6 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,182 miles
- Driving time: 42.1 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
53 / 63#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,961 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,180 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: 3,419 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: 3,485 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: 3,556 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: 3,599 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: 3,622 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: 3,776 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: 4,168 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: 4,188 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: 6,233 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
