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 Albuquerque. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Albuquerque, NM 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. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 162 miles
- Driving time: 3.8 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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2 / 63#2. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 182 miles
- Driving time: 4.8 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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3 / 63#3. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 187 miles
- Driving time: 4.2 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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4 / 63#4. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 188 miles
- Driving time: 3.7 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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5 / 63#5. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
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6 / 63#6. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 239 miles
- Driving time: 6.0 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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7 / 63#7. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 248 miles
- Driving time: 6.5 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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8 / 63#8. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 287 miles
- Driving time: 11.4 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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9 / 63#9. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 300 miles
- Driving time: 6.7 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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10 / 63#10. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
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11 / 63#11. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 326 miles
- Driving time: 7.1 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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12 / 63#12. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 337 miles
- Driving time: 8.8 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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13 / 63#13. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 361 miles
- Driving time: 10.6 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. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 367 miles
- Driving time: 8.0 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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15 / 63#15. Zion National Park (Utah)
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16 / 63#16. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 446 miles
- Driving time: 10.0 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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17 / 63#17. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 508 miles
- Driving time: 11.6 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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18 / 63#18. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 547 miles
- Driving time: 10.8 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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19 / 63#19. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 588 miles
- Driving time: 11.3 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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20 / 63#20. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
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21 / 63#21. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 631 miles
- Driving time: 12.6 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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22 / 63#22. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 637 miles
- Driving time: 14.5 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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23 / 63#23. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 687 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 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. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 688 miles
- Driving time: 15.6 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
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25 / 63#25. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 692 miles
- Driving time: 16.9 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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26 / 63#26. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 743 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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27 / 63#27. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 749 miles
- Driving time: 17.0 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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28 / 63#28. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 763 miles
- Driving time: 13.0 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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29 / 63#29. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 830 miles
- Driving time: 15.6 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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30 / 63#30. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
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31 / 63#31. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 901 miles
- Driving time: 18.8 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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32 / 63#32. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 932 miles
- Driving time: 14.8 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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33 / 63#33. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 997 miles
- Driving time: 21.4 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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34 / 63#34. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,019 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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35 / 63#35. Redwood National Park (California)
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36 / 63#36. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,134 miles
- Driving time: 21.6 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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37 / 63#37. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,142 miles
- Driving time: 20.0 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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38 / 63#38. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,145 miles
- Driving time: 19.1 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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39 / 63#39. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,155 miles
- Driving time: 22.9 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,202 miles
- Driving time: 24.3 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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41 / 63#41. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,246 miles
- Driving time: 25.0 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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42 / 63#42. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,283 miles
- Driving time: 25.7 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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43 / 63#43. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,292 miles
- Driving time: 21.3 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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44 / 63#44. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,414 miles
- Driving time: 23.3 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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45 / 63#45. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
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46 / 63#46. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,465 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 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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47 / 63#47. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,570 miles
- Driving time: 26.6 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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48 / 63#48. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,584 miles
- Driving time: 32.0 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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49 / 63#49. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,663 miles
- Driving time: 30.2 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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50 / 63#50. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
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51 / 63#51. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,113 miles
- Driving time: 37.8 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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52 / 63#52. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,133 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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53 / 63#53. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,374 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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54 / 63#54. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,573 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
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55 / 63#55. Denali National Park (Alaska)
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56 / 63#56. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,719 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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57 / 63#57. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,722 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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58 / 63#58. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 2,801 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,900 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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60 / 63#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
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61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,154 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
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62 / 63#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,163 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,403 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
