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 Salt Lake City. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Salt Lake City, UT 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. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 131 miles
- Driving time: 5.7 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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2 / 63#2. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 189 miles
- Driving time: 6.6 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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3 / 63#3. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 211 miles
- Driving time: 7.3 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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4 / 63#4. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 223 miles
- Driving time: 6.5 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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5 / 63#5. Zion National Park (Utah)
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6 / 63#6. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 230 miles
- Driving time: 11.6 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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7 / 63#7. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 244 miles
- Driving time: 7.8 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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8 / 63#8. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 305 miles
- Driving time: 8.1 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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9 / 63#9. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 312 miles
- Driving time: 8.3 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
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10 / 63#10. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
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11 / 63#11. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 336 miles
- Driving time: 8.8 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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12 / 63#12. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 365 miles
- Driving time: 9.4 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
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13 / 63#13. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 389 miles
- Driving time: 10.2 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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14 / 63#14. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 399 miles
- Driving time: 13.7 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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15 / 63#15. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
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16 / 63#16. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 417 miles
- Driving time: 11.2 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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17 / 63#17. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 422 miles
- Driving time: 17.0 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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18 / 63#18. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 445 miles
- Driving time: 11.5 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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19 / 63#19. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 450 miles
- Driving time: 10.7 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
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20 / 63#20. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
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21 / 63#21. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 500 miles
- Driving time: 12.3 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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22 / 63#22. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 526 miles
- Driving time: 13.0 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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23 / 63#23. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 529 miles
- Driving time: 11.5 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. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 570 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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25 / 63#25. Channel Islands National Park (California)
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26 / 63#26. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 579 miles
- Driving time: 12.8 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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27 / 63#27. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 580 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 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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28 / 63#28. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 590 miles
- Driving time: 16.1 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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29 / 63#29. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 617 miles
- Driving time: 14.2 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
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30 / 63#30. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
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31 / 63#31. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 656 miles
- Driving time: 15.7 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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32 / 63#32. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 692 miles
- Driving time: 16.6 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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33 / 63#33. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 730 miles
- Driving time: 17.3 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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34 / 63#34. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 747 miles
- Driving time: 18.0 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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35 / 63#35. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
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36 / 63#36. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 954 miles
- Driving time: 22.2 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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37 / 63#37. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,128 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 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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38 / 63#38. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,167 miles
- Driving time: 23.7 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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39 / 63#39. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,219 miles
- Driving time: 21.3 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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40 / 63#40. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
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41 / 63#41. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,349 miles
- Driving time: 22.9 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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42 / 63#42. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,461 miles
- Driving time: 26.2 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
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43 / 63#43. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,627 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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44 / 63#44. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,630 miles
- Driving time: 29.4 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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45 / 63#45. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
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46 / 63#46. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,707 miles
- Driving time: 30.0 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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47 / 63#47. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,825 miles
- Driving time: 33.2 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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48 / 63#48. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,842 miles
- Driving time: 33.4 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
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49 / 63#49. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,870 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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50 / 63#50. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
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51 / 63#51. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,060 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
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52 / 63#52. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,120 miles
- Driving time: 40.5 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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53 / 63#53. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,148 miles
- Driving time: 39.5 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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54 / 63#54. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,189 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
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55 / 63#55. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
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56 / 63#56. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,207 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
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57 / 63#57. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,273 miles
- Driving time: 41.9 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
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58 / 63#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,410 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
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59 / 63#59. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,543 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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60 / 63#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
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61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,885 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
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62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,234 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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63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,279 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
