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 Lincoln. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Lincoln, NE 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. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 352 miles
- Driving time: 7.6 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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2 / 63#2. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 386 miles
- Driving time: 6.8 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
3 / 63#3. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 389 miles
- Driving time: 7.7 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
4 / 63#4. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 459 miles
- Driving time: 7.5 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
5 / 63#5. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 483 miles
- Driving time: 9.9 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
6 / 63#6. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 510 miles
- Driving time: 10.2 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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7 / 63#7. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 514 miles
- Driving time: 8.3 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
8 / 63#8. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 537 miles
- Driving time: 11.5 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 566 miles
- Driving time: 10.8 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 598 miles
- Driving time: 11.5 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
11 / 63#11. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 631 miles
- Driving time: 11.8 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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12 / 63#12. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 649 miles
- Driving time: 13.7 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
13 / 63#13. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 673 miles
- Driving time: 13.8 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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14 / 63#14. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 692 miles
- Driving time: 12.1 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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15 / 63#15. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 720 miles
- Driving time: 19.2 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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16 / 63#16. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 730 miles
- Driving time: 14.4 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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17 / 63#17. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 740 miles
- Driving time: 13.7 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
18 / 63#18. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 741 miles
- Driving time: 12.7 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 756 miles
- Driving time: 14.3 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
20 / 63#20. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 758 miles
- Driving time: 15.5 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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21 / 63#21. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 784 miles
- Driving time: 13.6 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
22 / 63#22. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 800 miles
- Driving time: 13.0 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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23 / 63#23. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 806 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
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24 / 63#24. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 808 miles
- Driving time: 16.0 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
25 / 63#25. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 851 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 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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26 / 63#26. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 864 miles
- Driving time: 15.5 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 875 miles
- Driving time: 17.3 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
28 / 63#28. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 890 miles
- Driving time: 17.5 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
29 / 63#29. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 902 miles
- Driving time: 16.2 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 933 miles
- Driving time: 16.2 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 959 miles
- Driving time: 19.4 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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32 / 63#32. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 998 miles
- Driving time: 19.1 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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33 / 63#33. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,003 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,008 miles
- Driving time: 19.0 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 1,123 miles
- Driving time: 19.5 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
36 / 63#36. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,152 miles
- Driving time: 21.8 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,199 miles
- Driving time: 27.4 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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38 / 63#38. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,215 miles
- Driving time: 26.2 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,226 miles
- Driving time: 25.4 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,291 miles
- Driving time: 22.3 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,305 miles
- Driving time: 23.5 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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42 / 63#42. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,305 miles
- Driving time: 23.4 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
43 / 63#43. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,307 miles
- Driving time: 26.1 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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44 / 63#44. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,322 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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45 / 63#45. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,343 miles
- Driving time: 24.7 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. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,378 miles
- Driving time: 28.4 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
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47 / 63#47. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,399 miles
- Driving time: 26.5 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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48 / 63#48. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,408 miles
- Driving time: 26.6 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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49 / 63#49. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,412 miles
- Driving time: 27.0 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
50 / 63#50. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,422 miles
- Driving time: 25.5 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
51 / 63#51. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,474 miles
- Driving time: 27.4 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,127 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
53 / 63#53. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,344 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 2,454 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,586 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,647 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
57 / 63#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,721 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
58 / 63#58. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,770 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: 2,786 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: 2,939 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
61 / 63#61. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,712 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: 3,716 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: 6,041 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
