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 Midland. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Midland, 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. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 143 miles
- Driving time: 3.6 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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2 / 63#2. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 169 miles
- Driving time: 4.7 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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3 / 63#3. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 210 miles
- Driving time: 5.5 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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4 / 63#4. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 249 miles
- Driving time: 6.0 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
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5 / 63#5. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 437 miles
- Driving time: 9.2 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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6 / 63#6. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 494 miles
- Driving time: 10.1 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
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7 / 63#7. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 498 miles
- Driving time: 9.3 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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8 / 63#8. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 510 miles
- Driving time: 11.9 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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9 / 63#9. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 544 miles
- Driving time: 9.1 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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10 / 63#10. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
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11 / 63#11. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 607 miles
- Driving time: 11.8 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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12 / 63#12. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 615 miles
- Driving time: 18.6 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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13 / 63#13. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 623 miles
- Driving time: 13.8 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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14 / 63#14. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 642 miles
- Driving time: 13.2 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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15 / 63#15. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 668 miles
- Driving time: 16.0 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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16 / 63#16. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 691 miles
- Driving time: 17.3 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
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17 / 63#17. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 724 miles
- Driving time: 17.3 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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18 / 63#18. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 796 miles
- Driving time: 15.1 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 804 miles
- Driving time: 13.5 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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20 / 63#20. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 804 miles
- Driving time: 15.6 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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21 / 63#21. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 816 miles
- Driving time: 14.4 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 Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 839 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 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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23 / 63#23. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 895 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
24 / 63#24. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 935 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 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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25 / 63#25. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
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26 / 63#26. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 977 miles
- Driving time: 19.4 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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27 / 63#27. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 998 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 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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28 / 63#28. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 999 miles
- Driving time: 22.6 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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29 / 63#29. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,019 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
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30 / 63#30. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
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31 / 63#31. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,056 miles
- Driving time: 18.8 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
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32 / 63#32. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,067 miles
- Driving time: 22.8 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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33 / 63#33. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,088 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 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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34 / 63#34. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,135 miles
- Driving time: 20.9 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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35 / 63#35. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
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36 / 63#36. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,230 miles
- Driving time: 25.1 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,236 miles
- Driving time: 20.2 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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38 / 63#38. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,251 miles
- Driving time: 21.5 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,271 miles
- Driving time: 27.6 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,294 miles
- Driving time: 22.4 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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41 / 63#41. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,310 miles
- Driving time: 24.8 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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42 / 63#42. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,311 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
43 / 63#43. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,328 miles
- Driving time: 28.7 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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44 / 63#44. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,358 miles
- Driving time: 25.8 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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45 / 63#45. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,372 miles
- Driving time: 29.7 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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46 / 63#46. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,398 miles
- Driving time: 24.7 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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47 / 63#47. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,403 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
48 / 63#48. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,459 miles
- Driving time: 28.8 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: 1,521 miles
- Driving time: 30.9 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: 1,571 miles
- Driving time: 32.4 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: 2,005 miles
- Driving time: 36.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,445 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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53 / 63#53. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 2,503 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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54 / 63#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,684 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 / 63#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
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56 / 63#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,002 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: 3,036 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: 3,045 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: 3,196 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)
- Distance: 3,339 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
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61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,396 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: 3,413 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: 5,547 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
