National parks closest to Lancaster County, PA

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 Lancaster County. Straight line distance from Lancaster 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: What access to mental health care looks like in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,696 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,691 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

3 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,681 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,666 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)

- Distance: 1,645 miles
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres

You may also like: How Lancaster County, Pennsylvania's GDP has changed since 2018

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,582 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,551 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 1,441 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,418 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,371 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

You may also like: Warmest Decembers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania history

Canva

11 / 25

#15. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,130 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,046 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

Canva

13 / 25

#13. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,029 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 1,005 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 1,000 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

You may also like: Hottest months in Lancaster County, PA since 1895

Canva

16 / 25

#10. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 832 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 752 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 579 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 569 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 509 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

You may also like: 1 in 251 people in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Canva

21 / 25

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

- Distance: 501 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Canva

22 / 25

#4. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 498 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

23 / 25

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

- Distance: 296 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 292 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 160 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 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: Food insecurity rates in Lancaster County, PA