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 Missoula. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Missoula, 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. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 123 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
2 / 63#2. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 234 miles
- Driving time: 6.5 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
3 / 63#3. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 273 miles
- Driving time: 7.6 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
4 / 63#4. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 359 miles
- Driving time: 10.4 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
5 / 63#5. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 372 miles
- Driving time: 8.9 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock
6 / 63#6. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 454 miles
- Driving time: 11.1 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
7 / 63#7. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 491 miles
- Driving time: 12.3 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
8 / 63#8. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 493 miles
- Driving time: 9.8 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 556 miles
- Driving time: 12.2 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 560 miles
- Driving time: 10.8 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
11 / 63#11. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 590 miles
- Driving time: 16.4 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
12 / 63#12. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 598 miles
- Driving time: 11.2 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
13 / 63#13. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 616 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
14 / 63#14. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 618 miles
- Driving time: 13.4 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
15 / 63#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 625 miles
- Driving time: 12.0 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
16 / 63#16. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 638 miles
- Driving time: 16.1 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
17 / 63#17. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 642 miles
- Driving time: 16.9 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 659 miles
- Driving time: 12.8 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 662 miles
- Driving time: 13.8 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
20 / 63#20. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 673 miles
- Driving time: 12.8 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
21 / 63#21. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 696 miles
- Driving time: 20.2 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
22 / 63#22. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 734 miles
- Driving time: 14.3 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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23 / 63#23. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 745 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 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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24 / 63#24. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 760 miles
- Driving time: 16.0 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
25 / 63#25. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 762 miles
- Driving time: 16.5 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
26 / 63#26. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 771 miles
- Driving time: 16.9 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 772 miles
- Driving time: 22.6 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
28 / 63#28. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 818 miles
- Driving time: 19.5 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
29 / 63#29. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 852 miles
- Driving time: 16.8 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 919 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 944 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 981 miles
- Driving time: 19.4 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,035 miles
- Driving time: 21.6 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,064 miles
- Driving time: 21.1 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,140 miles
- Driving time: 22.5 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
36 / 63#36. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,147 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
SveKo // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,182 miles
- Driving time: 23.8 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,241 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,329 miles
- Driving time: 23.9 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,353 miles
- Driving time: 27.8 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,373 miles
- Driving time: 24.2 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
42 / 63#42. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,386 miles
- Driving time: 26.7 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
43 / 63#43. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,478 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,571 miles
- Driving time: 28.7 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
45 / 63#45. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,644 miles
- Driving time: 28.7 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
46 / 63#46. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,693 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,747 miles
- Driving time: 31.8 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
48 / 63#48. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,769 miles
- Driving time: 32.2 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
49 / 63#49. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,795 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
50 / 63#50. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,836 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
51 / 63#51. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,860 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,881 miles
- Driving time: 35.2 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
53 / 63#53. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,951 miles
- Driving time: 35.7 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,993 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
55 / 63#55. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,133 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,187 miles
- Driving time: 43.6 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock
57 / 63#57. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,301 miles
- Driving time: 45.0 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
58 / 63#58. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,344 miles
- Driving time: 43.1 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
59 / 63#59. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,363 miles
- Driving time: 42.0 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,977 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,004 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,402 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,485 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
