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 Houston. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 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.
You may also like: Cities with the fastest-growing home prices in the Houston metro area
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
1 / 63#1. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 355 miles
- Driving time: 6.5 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
2 / 63#2. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 477 miles
- Driving time: 10.4 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
3 / 63#3. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 564 miles
- Driving time: 9.8 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
4 / 63#4. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 585 miles
- Driving time: 11.1 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
5 / 63#5. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
6 / 63#6. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 679 miles
- Driving time: 12.1 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
7 / 63#7. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 739 miles
- Driving time: 13.2 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
8 / 63#8. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 800 miles
- Driving time: 14.8 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 802 miles
- Driving time: 14.3 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 845 miles
- Driving time: 21.0 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
You may also like: Highest-rated brunch restaurants in Houston
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
11 / 63#11. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 901 miles
- Driving time: 15.6 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
12 / 63#12. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 914 miles
- Driving time: 17.4 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
13 / 63#13. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 914 miles
- Driving time: 15.1 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
14 / 63#14. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 918 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
15 / 63#15. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 932 miles
- Driving time: 18.1 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
You may also like: Highest-rated delis in Houston by diners
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
16 / 63#16. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 934 miles
- Driving time: 17.1 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
17 / 63#17. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 936 miles
- Driving time: 19.1 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 943 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 977 miles
- Driving time: 18.0 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
20 / 63#20. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 999 miles
- Driving time: 17.8 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
You may also like: Are home prices going up in Houston in 2026?
Manamana // Shutterstock
21 / 63#21. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,018 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
22 / 63#22. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,018 miles
- Driving time: 19.3 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
23 / 63#23. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,043 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
24 / 63#24. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,053 miles
- Driving time: 19.4 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
25 / 63#25. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,066 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
You may also like: Michelin-starred restaurants in Houston
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
26 / 63#26. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,077 miles
- Driving time: 21.4 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,107 miles
- Driving time: 22.7 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
28 / 63#28. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,108 miles
- Driving time: 19.7 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
29 / 63#29. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,144 miles
- Driving time: 22.8 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,239 miles
- Driving time: 20.2 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 1,252 miles
- Driving time: 24.4 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,265 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,286 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
SveKo // Shutterstock
36 / 63#36. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,317 miles
- Driving time: 24.6 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,317 miles
- Driving time: 24.6 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 1,321 miles
- Driving time: 23.7 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,424 miles
- Driving time: 29.4 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Sequoia National Park (California)
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,441 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
42 / 63#42. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,491 miles
- Driving time: 28.4 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
43 / 63#43. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,561 miles
- Driving time: 26.7 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Pung // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,642 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
45 / 63#45. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
46 / 63#46. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,736 miles
- Driving time: 34.2 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
47 / 63#47. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,789 miles
- Driving time: 35.8 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
48 / 63#48. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,793 miles
- Driving time: 32.9 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
49 / 63#49. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,842 miles
- Driving time: 34.2 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
50 / 63#50. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
f11photo // Shutterstock
51 / 63#51. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,951 miles
- Driving time: 37.3 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 2,081 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
53 / 63#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,791 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,023 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,337 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
57 / 63#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,387 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
58 / 63#58. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,410 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,506 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,794 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
62 / 63#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,816 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,855 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
