Closest national parks to Carson City

Written by:
July 17, 2026
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

Closest national parks to Carson City

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.

1 / 63
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

#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
2 / 63
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#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
3 / 63
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

#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
4 / 63
Virrage Images // Shutterstock

#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
5 / 63
Yhelfman // Shutterstock

#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
6 / 63
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

#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
7 / 63
Bob Pool // Shutterstock

#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
8 / 63
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

#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
9 / 63
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

#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
10 / 63
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock

#10. Channel Islands National Park (California)

- Distance: 355 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
11 / 63
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

#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
12 / 63
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

#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
13 / 63
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock

#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
14 / 63
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

#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
15 / 63
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

#15. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 469 miles
- Driving time: 11.6 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
16 / 63
Manamana // Shutterstock

#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
17 / 63
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

#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
18 / 63
Manamana // Shutterstock

#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
19 / 63
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#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
20 / 63
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 607 miles
- Driving time: 12.3 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
21 / 63
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

#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
22 / 63
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

#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
23 / 63
f11photo // Shutterstock

#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
24 / 63
SL-Photography // Shutterstock

#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
25 / 63
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#25. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 663 miles
- Driving time: 15.3 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
26 / 63
kojihirano // Shutterstock

#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
27 / 63
Pung // Shutterstock

#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
28 / 63
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

#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
29 / 63
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

#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
30 / 63
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

#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
31 / 63
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#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
32 / 63
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

#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
33 / 63
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

#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
34 / 63
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

#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
35 / 63
Doug Meek // Shutterstock

#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
36 / 63
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

#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
37 / 63
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

#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
38 / 63
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#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
39 / 63
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock

#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
40 / 63
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

#40. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 1,587 miles
- Driving time: 26.6 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
41 / 63
SveKo // Shutterstock

#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
42 / 63
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

#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
43 / 63
Martin Capek // Shutterstock

#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
44 / 63
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#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
45 / 63
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock

#45. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 1,935 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
46 / 63
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock

#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
47 / 63
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#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
48 / 63
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock

#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
49 / 63
Steve Heap // Shutterstock

#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
50 / 63
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock

#50. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,082 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
51 / 63
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock

#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
52 / 63
Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#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
53 / 63
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

#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
54 / 63
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

#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
55 / 63
Varina C // Shutterstock

#55. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 2,366 miles
- Driving time: 47.6 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
56 / 63
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

#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
57 / 63
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

#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
58 / 63
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock

#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
59 / 63
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock

#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
60 / 63
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock

#60. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)

- Distance: 2,513 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
61 / 63
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

#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
62 / 63
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#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
63 / 63
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock

#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

Trending Now