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 Jackson. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Jackson, 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.
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1 / 63#1. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 218 miles
- Driving time: 5.3 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
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2 / 63#2. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 402 miles
- Driving time: 7.5 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
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3 / 63#3. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 428 miles
- Driving time: 7.1 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
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4 / 63#4. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 443 miles
- Driving time: 8.4 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
5 / 63#5. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 554 miles
- Driving time: 9.7 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
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6 / 63#6. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 646 miles
- Driving time: 11.6 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
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7 / 63#7. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 659 miles
- Driving time: 11.1 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
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8 / 63#8. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 698 miles
- Driving time: 17.4 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 745 miles
- Driving time: 15.3 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
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10 / 63#10. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 770 miles
- Driving time: 14.4 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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11 / 63#11. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 773 miles
- Driving time: 13.8 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
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12 / 63#12. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 789 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
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13 / 63#13. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 805 miles
- Driving time: 17.0 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
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14 / 63#14. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 833 miles
- Driving time: 13.6 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
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15 / 63#15. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 860 miles
- Driving time: 14.7 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
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16 / 63#16. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 931 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
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17 / 63#17. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 940 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
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18 / 63#18. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,016 miles
- Driving time: 19.4 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
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19 / 63#19. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,027 miles
- Driving time: 20.0 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
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20 / 63#20. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,054 miles
- Driving time: 21.2 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
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21 / 63#21. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,072 miles
- Driving time: 20.5 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
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22 / 63#22. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,085 miles
- Driving time: 19.0 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
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23 / 63#23. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,088 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
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24 / 63#24. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,118 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
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25 / 63#25. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,140 miles
- Driving time: 18.1 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
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26 / 63#26. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,170 miles
- Driving time: 21.8 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
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27 / 63#27. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,181 miles
- Driving time: 26.5 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
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28 / 63#28. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,186 miles
- Driving time: 19.5 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
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29 / 63#29. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,223 miles
- Driving time: 23.8 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
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30 / 63#30. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,247 miles
- Driving time: 24.2 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,278 miles
- Driving time: 21.6 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
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32 / 63#32. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,293 miles
- Driving time: 25.2 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
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33 / 63#33. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,337 miles
- Driving time: 25.2 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,361 miles
- Driving time: 26.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
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35 / 63#35. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,377 miles
- Driving time: 27.0 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
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36 / 63#36. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 1,423 miles
- Driving time: 26.8 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
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37 / 63#37. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,442 miles
- Driving time: 27.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
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38 / 63#38. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,489 miles
- Driving time: 24.8 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
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39 / 63#39. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 1,539 miles
- Driving time: 25.8 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
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40 / 63#40. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,637 miles
- Driving time: 32.4 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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41 / 63#41. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,644 miles
- Driving time: 31.5 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
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42 / 63#42. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,673 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
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43 / 63#43. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,690 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
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44 / 63#44. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,693 miles
- Driving time: 31.5 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
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45 / 63#45. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,782 miles
- Driving time: 30.0 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
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46 / 63#46. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,819 miles
- Driving time: 33.1 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
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47 / 63#47. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 1,857 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
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48 / 63#48. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,878 miles
- Driving time: 36.6 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
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49 / 63#49. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,935 miles
- Driving time: 36.7 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
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50 / 63#50. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,956 miles
- Driving time: 38.3 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
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51 / 63#51. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,959 miles
- Driving time: 39.1 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
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52 / 63#52. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,039 miles
- Driving time: 39.5 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
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53 / 63#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,810 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: 3,029 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: 3,269 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
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56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,334 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
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57 / 63#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,405 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
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58 / 63#58. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,450 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: 3,470 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: 3,624 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
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61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 4,085 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
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62 / 63#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 4,100 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: 6,203 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
