National parks closest to Dawson County, MT

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 Dawson County. Straight line distance from Dawson 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: How Dawson County, Montana's GDP has changed since 2018

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 945 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 892 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 885 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

f11photo // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 877 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 862 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

You may also like: 1 in 128 people in Dawson County, Montana are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 803 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 792 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 764 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

Canva

9 / 25

#17. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 761 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

Canva

10 / 25

#16. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 751 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

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

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 743 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 716 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 699 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 672 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 655 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

You may also like: Dawson County, MT monthly real estate update

Manamana // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 635 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

17 / 25

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

- Distance: 617 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 566 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 479 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Pung // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 424 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

You may also like: How personal income has changed in Dawson County, Montana

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 369 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

22 / 25

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

- Distance: 329 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 274 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 264 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 69 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 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: Warmest and coldest Februaries in Dawson County, Montana history