National parks closest to Austin County, TX

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 Austin County. Straight line distance from Austin 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: Warmest and coldest Februaries in Austin County, Texas history

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 1,033 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

Canva

2 / 25

#24. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

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

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,023 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 1,011 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,011 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

You may also like: National parks closest to Austin County, TX

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 993 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 973 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 968 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 959 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Canva

10 / 25

#16. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 951 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

You may also like: How personal income has changed in Austin County, Texas

Canva

11 / 25

#15. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 900 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 896 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

13 / 25

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

- Distance: 887 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

kojihirano // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 873 miles
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 865 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

You may also like: Here's how unemployment in Austin County, Texas compares

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

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

Canva

17 / 25

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

- Distance: 840 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 771 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 763 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 695 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

You may also like: Here's how many people are behind on debt payments in Austin County, Texas

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 627 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 530 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 515 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 421 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 370 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 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: Austin County, TX monthly real estate update