National parks closest to Stonewall 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 Stonewall County. Straight line distance from Stonewall 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: 1 in 55 people in Stonewall County, Texas are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 928 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

2 / 25

#24. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 925 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

- Distance: 900 miles
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 878 miles
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 845 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

You may also like: Food insecurity rates in Stonewall County, TX

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 775 miles
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 738 miles
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 738 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 735 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 710 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

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

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

11 / 25

#15. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 703 miles
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 677 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 647 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

14 / 25

#12. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 644 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

kojihirano // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 615 miles
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres

You may also like: How Stonewall County, Texas' GDP has changed since 2018

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

16 / 25

#10. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 579 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 560 miles
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

18 / 25

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

- Distance: 560 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Sopotnicki // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 542 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

20 / 25

#6. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 438 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Stonewall County, Texas in the last week

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 424 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 354 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 320 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

24 / 25

#2. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 284 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 261 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 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: Stonewall County, TX monthly unemployment update