Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
1 / 25#25. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,186 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

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 Price County. Straight line distance from Price 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.
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Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
1 / 25- Distance: 1,186 miles
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
2 / 25- Distance: 1,125 miles
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
Pung // Shutterstock
3 / 25- Distance: 1,119 miles
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
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4 / 25- Distance: 1,102 miles
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
5 / 25- Distance: 1,094 miles
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
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Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
6 / 25- Distance: 1,083 miles
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
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7 / 25- Distance: 1,015 miles
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
8 / 25- Distance: 1,007 miles
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
9 / 25- Distance: 987 miles
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Canva
10 / 25- Distance: 965 miles
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
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Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
11 / 25- Distance: 955 miles
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
12 / 25- Distance: 858 miles
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
13 / 25- Distance: 786 miles
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
14 / 25- Distance: 783 miles
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Canva
15 / 25- Distance: 782 miles
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
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Steve Heap // Shutterstock
16 / 25- Distance: 723 miles
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
17 / 25- Distance: 660 miles
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
18 / 25- Distance: 632 miles
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
19 / 25- Distance: 625 miles
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
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20 / 25- Distance: 612 miles
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
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Zack Frank // Shutterstock
21 / 25- Distance: 536 miles
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
22 / 25- Distance: 487 miles
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
23 / 25- Distance: 323 miles
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
24 / 25- Distance: 226 miles
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
Canva
25 / 25- Distance: 177 miles
- Park area: 571,790.30 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.
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