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 Billings. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Billings, MT 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. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 109 miles
- Driving time: 3.8 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
2 / 63#2. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 164 miles
- Driving time: 5.3 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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3 / 63#3. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 274 miles
- Driving time: 4.6 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
4 / 63#4. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 300 miles
- Driving time: 5.6 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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5 / 63#5. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 327 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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6 / 63#6. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 338 miles
- Driving time: 6.0 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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7 / 63#7. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 397 miles
- Driving time: 8.0 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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8 / 63#8. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 482 miles
- Driving time: 12.0 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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9 / 63#9. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 491 miles
- Driving time: 11.7 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 516 miles
- Driving time: 17.1 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
11 / 63#11. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 527 miles
- Driving time: 12.9 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
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12 / 63#12. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 538 miles
- Driving time: 12.4 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
13 / 63#13. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 572 miles
- Driving time: 11.5 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
14 / 63#14. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 583 miles
- Driving time: 13.0 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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15 / 63#15. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 584 miles
- Driving time: 14.6 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
16 / 63#16. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 615 miles
- Driving time: 12.9 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
17 / 63#17. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 619 miles
- Driving time: 14.0 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 624 miles
- Driving time: 12.5 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 683 miles
- Driving time: 16.0 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
20 / 63#20. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 683 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 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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21 / 63#21. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 713 miles
- Driving time: 14.7 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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22 / 63#22. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 731 miles
- Driving time: 16.9 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
23 / 63#23. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 732 miles
- Driving time: 18.1 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
24 / 63#24. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 770 miles
- Driving time: 21.0 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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25 / 63#25. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 771 miles
- Driving time: 16.2 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
26 / 63#26. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 777 miles
- Driving time: 13.8 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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27 / 63#27. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 791 miles
- Driving time: 24.1 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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28 / 63#28. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 816 miles
- Driving time: 22.8 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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29 / 63#29. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 818 miles
- Driving time: 19.7 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 898 miles
- Driving time: 16.9 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 899 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 900 miles
- Driving time: 20.4 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 928 miles
- Driving time: 20.7 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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34 / 63#34. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 958 miles
- Driving time: 17.4 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 970 miles
- Driving time: 18.5 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
SveKo // Shutterstock
36 / 63#36. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 973 miles
- Driving time: 18.2 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 978 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,069 miles
- Driving time: 18.6 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,122 miles
- Driving time: 19.7 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,132 miles
- Driving time: 21.6 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,170 miles
- Driving time: 22.7 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
42 / 63#42. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,311 miles
- Driving time: 23.5 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
43 / 63#43. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,398 miles
- Driving time: 24.3 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,476 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
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45 / 63#45. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,488 miles
- Driving time: 26.7 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
46 / 63#46. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,515 miles
- Driving time: 27.1 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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47 / 63#47. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,631 miles
- Driving time: 30.5 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
48 / 63#48. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,691 miles
- Driving time: 30.5 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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49 / 63#49. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,706 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
50 / 63#50. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,932 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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51 / 63#51. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,971 miles
- Driving time: 38.7 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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52 / 63#52. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,019 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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53 / 63#53. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,046 miles
- Driving time: 40.2 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,072 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,087 miles
- Driving time: 37.9 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
56 / 63#56. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,105 miles
- Driving time: 36.9 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
57 / 63#57. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,106 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
58 / 63#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,198 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
59 / 63#59. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,343 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,142 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
61 / 63#61. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,173 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
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62 / 63#62. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,193 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,639 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
