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 Walla Walla. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Walla Walla, WA 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: Highest-rated sushi restaurants in the Walla Walla area by diners
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
1 / 63#1. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 161 miles
- Driving time: 4.0 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
2 / 63#2. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 212 miles
- Driving time: 6.5 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock
3 / 63#3. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 265 miles
- Driving time: 7.1 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Pung // Shutterstock
4 / 63#4. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 274 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
5 / 63#5. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
6 / 63#6. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 404 miles
- Driving time: 11.0 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
7 / 63#7. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 415 miles
- Driving time: 11.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
8 / 63#8. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 426 miles
- Driving time: 11.1 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
9 / 63#9. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 439 miles
- Driving time: 10.6 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
10 / 63#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
11 / 63#11. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 584 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
12 / 63#12. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 652 miles
- Driving time: 19.0 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
13 / 63#13. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 670 miles
- Driving time: 13.4 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
14 / 63#14. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 678 miles
- Driving time: 18.8 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
15 / 63#15. Zion National Park (Utah)
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
16 / 63#16. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 681 miles
- Driving time: 14.0 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
17 / 63#17. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 689 miles
- Driving time: 14.7 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
18 / 63#18. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 692 miles
- Driving time: 13.3 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
19 / 63#19. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 696 miles
- Driving time: 15.3 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
20 / 63#20. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
21 / 63#21. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 716 miles
- Driving time: 14.5 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
22 / 63#22. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 758 miles
- Driving time: 15.5 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
23 / 63#23. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 763 miles
- Driving time: 15.5 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
24 / 63#24. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 764 miles
- Driving time: 16.8 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
25 / 63#25. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
26 / 63#26. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 800 miles
- Driving time: 16.1 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
27 / 63#27. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 810 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
28 / 63#28. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 846 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
29 / 63#29. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 871 miles
- Driving time: 19.6 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
30 / 63#30. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 888 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
You may also like: Are home prices going up in Walla Walla in 2026?
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
31 / 63#31. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 896 miles
- Driving time: 18.2 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
32 / 63#32. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,055 miles
- Driving time: 23.1 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
33 / 63#33. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,136 miles
- Driving time: 22.5 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
34 / 63#34. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,146 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
35 / 63#35. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
36 / 63#36. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,226 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
37 / 63#37. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,226 miles
- Driving time: 25.0 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
38 / 63#38. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,390 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
SveKo // Shutterstock
39 / 63#39. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,407 miles
- Driving time: 28.4 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
40 / 63#40. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,434 miles
- Driving time: 29.1 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
You may also like: Car insurance rates in Walla Walla October 2025
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
41 / 63#41. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,529 miles
- Driving time: 28.5 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
42 / 63#42. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,557 miles
- Driving time: 30.1 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
43 / 63#43. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,581 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
44 / 63#44. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,588 miles
- Driving time: 28.7 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
45 / 63#45. Denali National Park (Alaska)
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
46 / 63#46. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,728 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
47 / 63#47. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,732 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
48 / 63#48. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,773 miles
- Driving time: 32.7 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
49 / 63#49. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,863 miles
- Driving time: 33.2 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
50 / 63#50. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
51 / 63#51. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 1,949 miles
- Driving time: 35.9 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
52 / 63#52. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,981 miles
- Driving time: 37.0 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
53 / 63#53. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,066 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
54 / 63#54. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 2,097 miles
- Driving time: 39.8 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
55 / 63#55. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
56 / 63#56. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,412 miles
- Driving time: 48.3 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock
57 / 63#57. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,468 miles
- Driving time: 49.3 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
58 / 63#58. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,520 miles
- Driving time: 47.5 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
59 / 63#59. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,542 miles
- Driving time: 46.4 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
60 / 63#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
61 / 63#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,785 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
62 / 63#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,597 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
63 / 63#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,277 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
