National parks closest to Seneca County, OH

After the hottest summer on record, it's a wonderful time to hit the great outdoors.

The United States is home to 63 national parks, from Yellowstone National Park to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia. The former, located in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, became the world's first national park in 1872 and includes 10,000 hydrothermal features; the latter is the newest national park and hosts the longest steel arch span in the Western Hemisphere. So, the country's park system encompasses something for everyone.

It's not surprising then that these scenic getaways have drawn millions of travelers every year. The National Park Service reported just shy of 312 million recreational visits last year, the most since 2019. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee was by far the most popular national park, with 12.9 million visits. Grand Canyon (Arizona), Zion (Utah), Rocky Mountain (Colorado), and Acadia (Maine) rounded out the top five.

For park enthusiasts, more good news looks to be on the way. Congress is expected to add Georgia's Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as the nation's 64th crown jewel before the end of the year. It'd be the first national park co-managed by a tribal group that was forcibly removed from its land and the first national park in Georgia. But others—including perhaps the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Alaska's Tongass National Forest, and Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona—are vying for the honor.

Wondering where to go next that's not too far from home? Stacker compiled a list of the national parks closest to Seneca County. Straight line distance from Seneca County to each national park was used to determine the ranking. County coordinates from the Census Bureau and national park coordinates from NPS were used in the calculation.

When planning your next adventure, know your limits before you go, and check whether the park has regulations or requires permits or reservations. Create backup and emergency plans, and be aware of your surroundings when you arrive. NPS asks visitors to stay within designated areas, watch wildlife responsibly, and keep safety in mind. Animals should not be approached, harassed, touched, or fed, and children and pets must be supervised closely.

You may also like: Food insecurity rates in Seneca County, OH

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,394 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,381 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,362 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,337 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,315 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest January in Seneca County, Ohio history

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,220 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,182 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Canva

8 / 25

#18. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,137 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,093 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

Canva

10 / 25

#16. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,090 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

You may also like: Here's how unemployment in Seneca County, Ohio compares

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 1,088 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,051 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,003 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 789 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 708 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

You may also like: Seneca County, OH monthly unemployment update

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 696 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Canva

17 / 25

#9. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 552 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Canva

18 / 25

#8. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 522 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 413 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Canva

20 / 25

#6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)

- Distance: 381 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

You may also like: How Seneca County, Ohio's GDP has changed since 2018

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 315 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 307 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)

- Distance: 251 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 209 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 82 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 3,119 counties.

You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Seneca County, Ohio in the last week