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 Laredo. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Laredo, 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.
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1 / 63#1. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 259 miles
- Driving time: 7.9 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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2 / 63#2. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 431 miles
- Driving time: 8.1 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
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3 / 63#3. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 438 miles
- Driving time: 8.6 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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4 / 63#4. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 535 miles
- Driving time: 10.2 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
5 / 63#5. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 596 miles
- Driving time: 10.2 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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6 / 63#6. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 736 miles
- Driving time: 13.5 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
7 / 63#7. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 775 miles
- Driving time: 15.1 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
8 / 63#8. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 795 miles
- Driving time: 14.9 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 840 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 888 miles
- Driving time: 18.6 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
11 / 63#11. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 917 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
12 / 63#12. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 941 miles
- Driving time: 18.0 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
13 / 63#13. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 943 miles
- Driving time: 18.0 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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14 / 63#14. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 945 miles
- Driving time: 23.4 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
15 / 63#15. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 956 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 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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16 / 63#16. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 993 miles
- Driving time: 20.8 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
17 / 63#17. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,007 miles
- Driving time: 22.1 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,008 miles
- Driving time: 17.1 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,034 miles
- Driving time: 22.1 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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20 / 63#20. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,045 miles
- Driving time: 25.6 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
21 / 63#21. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,067 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
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22 / 63#22. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,077 miles
- Driving time: 19.7 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
23 / 63#23. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,114 miles
- Driving time: 20.8 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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24 / 63#24. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,116 miles
- Driving time: 21.4 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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25 / 63#25. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,151 miles
- Driving time: 23.8 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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26 / 63#26. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 1,157 miles
- Driving time: 23.7 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,177 miles
- Driving time: 20.6 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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28 / 63#28. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 1,178 miles
- Driving time: 22.1 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
29 / 63#29. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,183 miles
- Driving time: 20.3 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
30 / 63#30. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,199 miles
- Driving time: 22.8 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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31 / 63#31. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,266 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,273 miles
- Driving time: 24.5 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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33 / 63#33. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,273 miles
- Driving time: 22.7 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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34 / 63#34. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,279 miles
- Driving time: 26.9 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,282 miles
- Driving time: 27.8 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
36 / 63#36. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,315 miles
- Driving time: 25.5 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,343 miles
- Driving time: 25.7 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,359 miles
- Driving time: 26.9 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,371 miles
- Driving time: 23.4 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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40 / 63#40. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,409 miles
- Driving time: 25.1 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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41 / 63#41. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,420 miles
- Driving time: 25.0 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
42 / 63#42. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,472 miles
- Driving time: 24.4 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
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43 / 63#43. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,518 miles
- Driving time: 27.1 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,537 miles
- Driving time: 29.8 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
45 / 63#45. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,648 miles
- Driving time: 31.9 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
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46 / 63#46. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,649 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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47 / 63#47. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,679 miles
- Driving time: 33.8 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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48 / 63#48. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,792 miles
- Driving time: 33.6 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
49 / 63#49. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,857 miles
- Driving time: 36.0 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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50 / 63#50. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,904 miles
- Driving time: 36.6 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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51 / 63#51. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,065 miles
- Driving time: 37.7 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 2,289 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: 2,783 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: 3,022 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)
- Distance: 3,227 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,340 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: 3,373 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: 3,380 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: 3,534 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,561 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
61 / 63#61. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,589 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
62 / 63#62. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,676 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,581 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
