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 Myrtle Beach. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC 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.
- Distance: 125 miles - Driving time: 3.7 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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#2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 303 miles - Driving time: 7.0 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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#3. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 315 miles - Driving time: 6.4 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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#4. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 315 miles - Driving time: 6.9 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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#5. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 476 miles - Driving time: 11.5 hours - Date founded: July 1, 1941 - 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 54,011.91 acres
- Distance: 527 miles - Driving time: 10.4 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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#7. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 580 miles - Driving time: 11.8 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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#8. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 612 miles - Driving time: 12.7 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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#9. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 692 miles - Driving time: 14.9 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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#10. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 702 miles - Driving time: 15.5 hours - Date founded: February 15, 2019 - 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 15,349.08 acres
- Distance: 721 miles - Driving time: 14.6 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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Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#12. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 827 miles - Driving time: 14.6 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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#13. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 907 miles - Driving time: 19.1 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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#14. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,103 miles - Driving time: 22.7 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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#15. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,244 miles - Driving time: 25.0 hours - Date founded: April 8, 1975 - 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 218,222.35 acres
#16. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 1,376 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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#17. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,447 miles - Driving time: 27.9 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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#18. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,485 miles - Driving time: 28.5 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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#19. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,489 miles - Driving time: 29.0 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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#20. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,500 miles - Driving time: 25.3 hours - Date founded: May 14, 1930 - 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 46,766.45 acres
- Distance: 1,526 miles - Driving time: 27.6 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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#22. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,528 miles - Driving time: 26.2 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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#23. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,546 miles - Driving time: 27.9 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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#24. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,576 miles - Driving time: 30.5 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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#25. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,591 miles - Driving time: 27.4 hours - Date founded: December 20, 2019[111] - 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 146,344.31 acres
#26. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,649 miles - Driving time: 31.1 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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#27. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,690 miles - Driving time: 30.6 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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#28. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,749 miles - Driving time: 32.0 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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#29. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,768 miles - Driving time: 37.2 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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#30. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,773 miles - Driving time: 28.9 hours - Date founded: December 9, 1962 - 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 221,390.21 acres
- Distance: 1,836 miles - Driving time: 33.5 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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#32. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,845 miles - Driving time: 34.9 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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#33. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,846 miles - Driving time: 31.1 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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Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#34. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,848 miles - Driving time: 33.9 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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#35. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,892 miles - Driving time: 35.7 hours - Date founded: February 25, 1928 - 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 35,835.08 acres
- Distance: 1,898 miles - Driving time: 32.4 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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Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#37. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,941 miles - Driving time: 35.9 hours - Date founded: November 19, 1919 - 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 147,242.66 acres
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#38. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 2,004 miles - Driving time: 36.1 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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#39. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 2,078 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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#40. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,131 miles - Driving time: 36.1 hours - Date founded: October 31, 1994 - 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 795,155.85 acres
#41. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 2,156 miles - Driving time: 36.6 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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#42. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,247 miles - Driving time: 43.1 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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#43. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,257 miles - Driving time: 42.1 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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#44. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,291 miles - Driving time: 42.3 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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#45. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,327 miles - Date founded: March 5, 1980 - 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 249,561.00 acres
- Distance: 2,384 miles - Driving time: 43.3 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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#47. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,394 miles - Driving time: 40.8 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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#48. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,398 miles - Driving time: 47.4 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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#49. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,407 miles - Driving time: 45.1 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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#50. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 2,410 miles - Driving time: 44.7 hours - Date founded: May 22, 1902 - 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 183,224.05 acres
- Distance: 2,496 miles - Driving time: 48.1 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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#52. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,511 miles - Driving time: 48.1 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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#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,135 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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#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,325 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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#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,586 miles - Date founded: December 2, 1980 - 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 669,650.05 acres
- Distance: 3,603 miles - Date founded: February 26, 1917 - 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
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#57. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,678 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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#58. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,708 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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#59. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,785 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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#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,836 miles - Date founded: December 2, 1980 - 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks) - Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
