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 Carson City. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Carson City, NV 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. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 92 miles
- Driving time: 5.7 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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2 / 63#2. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 132 miles
- Driving time: 3.5 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
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3 / 63#3. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 175 miles
- Driving time: 9.7 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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4 / 63#4. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 197 miles
- Driving time: 9.4 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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5 / 63#5. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 200 miles
- Driving time: 5.7 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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6 / 63#6. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 257 miles
- Driving time: 6.7 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
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7 / 63#7. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 269 miles
- Driving time: 8.5 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
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8 / 63#8. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 289 miles
- Driving time: 6.8 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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9 / 63#9. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 293 miles
- Driving time: 6.7 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
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10 / 63#10. Channel Islands National Park (California)
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11 / 63#11. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 386 miles
- Driving time: 10.3 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
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12 / 63#12. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 425 miles
- Driving time: 11.0 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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13 / 63#13. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 427 miles
- Driving time: 9.4 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
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14 / 63#14. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 468 miles
- Driving time: 10.8 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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15 / 63#15. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
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16 / 63#16. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 535 miles
- Driving time: 16.3 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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17 / 63#17. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 541 miles
- Driving time: 13.1 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
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18 / 63#18. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 549 miles
- Driving time: 11.4 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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19 / 63#19. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 561 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 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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20 / 63#20. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
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21 / 63#21. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 618 miles
- Driving time: 12.5 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
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22 / 63#22. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 627 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 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. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 637 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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24 / 63#24. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 649 miles
- Driving time: 13.4 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
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25 / 63#25. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
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26 / 63#26. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 704 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 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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27 / 63#27. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 725 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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28 / 63#28. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 758 miles
- Driving time: 15.6 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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29 / 63#29. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 778 miles
- Driving time: 16.8 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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30 / 63#30. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 877 miles
- Driving time: 18.2 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
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31 / 63#31. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 897 miles
- Driving time: 16.8 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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32 / 63#32. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 948 miles
- Driving time: 18.1 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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33 / 63#33. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 974 miles
- Driving time: 20.1 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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34 / 63#34. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 983 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
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35 / 63#35. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 985 miles
- Driving time: 20.4 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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36 / 63#36. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,162 miles
- Driving time: 24.4 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
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37 / 63#37. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,479 miles
- Driving time: 28.0 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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38 / 63#38. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,508 miles
- Driving time: 28.3 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
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39 / 63#39. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,541 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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40 / 63#40. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
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41 / 63#41. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,668 miles
- Driving time: 32.9 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
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42 / 63#42. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,723 miles
- Driving time: 28.1 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
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43 / 63#43. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,786 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
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44 / 63#44. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,827 miles
- Driving time: 31.5 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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45 / 63#45. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
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46 / 63#46. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,993 miles
- Driving time: 34.6 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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47 / 63#47. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 2,010 miles
- Driving time: 32.7 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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48 / 63#48. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,051 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
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49 / 63#49. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 2,078 miles
- Driving time: 35.2 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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50 / 63#50. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
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51 / 63#51. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,097 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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52 / 63#52. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,185 miles
- Driving time: 38.5 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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53 / 63#53. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 2,214 miles
- Driving time: 38.7 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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54 / 63#54. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,354 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
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55 / 63#55. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
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56 / 63#56. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,442 miles
- Driving time: 45.6 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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57 / 63#57. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,472 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
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58 / 63#58. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,475 miles
- Driving time: 44.6 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
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59 / 63#59. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,502 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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60 / 63#60. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
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61 / 63#61. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,643 miles
- Driving time: 47.3 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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62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,572 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: 4,927 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
