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 Reno. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Reno, 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. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 94 miles
- Driving time: 5.8 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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2 / 63#2. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 185 miles
- Driving time: 9.5 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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3 / 63#3. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 208 miles
- Driving time: 7.6 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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4 / 63#4. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 230 miles
- Driving time: 10.5 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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5 / 63#5. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
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6 / 63#6. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 287 miles
- Driving time: 12.7 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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7 / 63#7. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 288 miles
- Driving time: 8.9 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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8 / 63#8. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 308 miles
- Driving time: 9.4 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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9 / 63#9. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 334 miles
- Driving time: 9.4 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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10 / 63#10. Zion National Park (Utah)
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11 / 63#11. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 448 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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12 / 63#12. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 450 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 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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13 / 63#13. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 454 miles
- Driving time: 13.8 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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14 / 63#14. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 485 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
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15 / 63#15. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
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16 / 63#16. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 510 miles
- Driving time: 14.3 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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17 / 63#17. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 514 miles
- Driving time: 14.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
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18 / 63#18. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 548 miles
- Driving time: 19.1 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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19 / 63#19. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 548 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 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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20 / 63#20. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
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21 / 63#21. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 556 miles
- Driving time: 14.0 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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22 / 63#22. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 571 miles
- Driving time: 16.2 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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23 / 63#23. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 638 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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24 / 63#24. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 648 miles
- Driving time: 16.5 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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25 / 63#25. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
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26 / 63#26. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 660 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 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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27 / 63#27. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 745 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 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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28 / 63#28. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 766 miles
- Driving time: 18.0 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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29 / 63#29. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 787 miles
- Driving time: 19.4 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. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 861 miles
- Driving time: 19.1 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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31 / 63#31. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 911 miles
- Driving time: 20.4 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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32 / 63#32. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 921 miles
- Driving time: 21.0 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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33 / 63#33. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 927 miles
- Driving time: 21.2 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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34 / 63#34. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,017 miles
- Driving time: 23.0 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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35 / 63#35. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,026 miles
- Driving time: 23.1 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: 1,212 miles
- Driving time: 27.2 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: 1,428 miles
- Driving time: 30.3 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. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,457 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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39 / 63#39. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,516 miles
- Driving time: 31.2 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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40 / 63#40. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,575 miles
- Driving time: 28.9 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
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41 / 63#41. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,620 miles
- Driving time: 35.2 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: 1,698 miles
- Driving time: 30.4 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: 1,702 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: 1,818 miles
- Driving time: 33.8 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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45 / 63#45. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
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46 / 63#46. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,979 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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47 / 63#47. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,984 miles
- Driving time: 35.0 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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48 / 63#48. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,987 miles
- Driving time: 37.1 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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49 / 63#49. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,005 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
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50 / 63#50. Denali National Park (Alaska)
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51 / 63#51. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 2,062 miles
- Driving time: 37.5 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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52 / 63#52. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,181 miles
- Driving time: 40.9 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: 2,195 miles
- Driving time: 41.0 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: 2,268 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. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
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56 / 63#56. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,389 miles
- Driving time: 50.3 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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57 / 63#57. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,461 miles
- Driving time: 48.5 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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58 / 63#58. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,491 miles
- Driving time: 47.4 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: 2,536 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: 2,604 miles
- Driving time: 49.5 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: 3,583 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
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63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 4,984 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
