National parks closest to Davison County, SD

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 Davison County. Straight line distance from Davison 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: How gas prices have changed in Davison County, South Dakota in the last week

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 890 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 873 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 869 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 863 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 862 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest Februaries in Davison County, South Dakota history

ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 847 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

Pung // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 824 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 778 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 775 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 718 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

You may also like: How personal income has changed in Davison County, South Dakota

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 701 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 688 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 686 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 628 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)

- Distance: 619 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

You may also like: What access to mental health care looks like in Davison County, South Dakota

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

16 / 25

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

- Distance: 610 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 580 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 563 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 542 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Canva

20 / 25

#6. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 540 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

You may also like: 1 in 603 people in Davison County, South Dakota are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 451 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 419 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 352 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 265 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 217 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 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: Here's how much snow Davison County, South Dakota received in January