National parks closest to Wayne County, WV

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 Wayne County. Straight line distance from Wayne 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: How gas prices have changed in Wayne County, West Virginia in the last week

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

1 / 25

#25. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,394 miles
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

2 / 25

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

- Distance: 1,370 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Eric Foltz // Shutterstock

3 / 25

#23. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,340 miles
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

ShuPhoto // Shutterstock

4 / 25

#22. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 1,340 miles
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

Doug Meek // Shutterstock

5 / 25

#21. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 1,316 miles
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

You may also like: The share of seniors in Wayne County, West Virginia with Alzheimer's

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

6 / 25

#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,262 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

7 / 25

#19. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 1,254 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock

8 / 25

#18. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 1,233 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

9 / 25

#17. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,159 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

10 / 25

#16. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 1,114 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

You may also like: Here's how many people are behind on debt payments in Wayne County, West Virginia

Canva

11 / 25

#15. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 932 miles
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

12 / 25

#14. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 885 miles
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock

13 / 25

#13. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 884 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

Canva

14 / 25

#12. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 881 miles
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

15 / 25

#11. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 854 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

You may also like: Warmest and coldest Februaries in Wayne County, West Virginia history

Canva

16 / 25

#10. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 754 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

17 / 25

#9. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 643 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

18 / 25

#8. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 423 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

19 / 25

#7. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 346 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

Canva

20 / 25

#6. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 314 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

You may also like: 1 in 64 people in Wayne County, West Virginia are grandparents caring for grandchildren

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

21 / 25

#5. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 220 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

22 / 25

#4. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 216 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

23 / 25

#3. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 213 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Canva

24 / 25

#2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)

- Distance: 185 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

25 / 25

#1. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)

- Distance: 80 miles
- Park area: 7,021 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: How Wayne County, West Virginia's GDP has changed since 2018