National parks closest to Mineral 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 Mineral County. Straight line distance from Mineral 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: Warmest and coldest January in Mineral County, Montana history

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 783 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 762 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)

- Distance: 742 miles
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 741 miles
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

5 / 25

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

- Distance: 698 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

You may also like: Hottest months in Mineral County, MT since 1895

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 687 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 680 miles
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 675 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 668 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 662 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

You may also like: Here's how many people are behind on debt payments in Mineral County, Montana

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 657 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 643 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 641 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 617 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Bob Pool // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 595 miles
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

You may also like: Here's how unemployment in Mineral County, Montana compares

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 566 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 556 miles
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 549 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 450 miles
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

f11photo // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 404 miles
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

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

Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 313 miles
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 312 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Canva

23 / 25

#3. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 304 miles
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

24 / 25

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

- Distance: 280 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Pung // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 123 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 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: How gas prices have changed in Mineral County, Montana in the last week