Closest national parks to Los Angeles
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
Approximately 331 million people visited American national parks in 2024, representing a 2% year-over-year growth and the fourth straight year of growth.
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 Los Angeles. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 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.
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
#1. Channel Islands National Park (California)
– Distance: 71 miles
– Date founded: March 5, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 262,581 (#50 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 249,561.00 acres 
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
#2. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
– Distance: 133 miles
– Driving time: 3.3 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 2,991,874 (#11 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 795,155.85 acres 
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
#3. Sequoia National Park (California)
– Distance: 162 miles
– Driving time: 6.8 hours
– Date founded: September 25, 1890
– 2024 visitors: 1,309,573 (#24 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 404,062.63 acres 
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
#4. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
– Distance: 166 miles
– Driving time: 5.0 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 1,440,484 (#21 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,408,395.63 acres 
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
#5. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
– Distance: 187 miles
– Driving time: 7.8 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1940
– 2024 visitors: 699,389 (#34 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
#6. Pinnacles National Park (California)
– Distance: 235 miles
– Driving time: 5.1 hours
– Date founded: January 10, 2013
– 2024 visitors: 354,076 (#48 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,685.73 acres 
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
#7. Yosemite National Park (California)
– Distance: 267 miles
– Driving time: 6.8 hours
– Date founded: October 1, 1890
– 2024 visitors: 4,121,807 (#6 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 761,747.50 acres 
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#8. Zion National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 363 miles
– Driving time: 7.2 hours
– Date founded: November 19, 1919
– 2024 visitors: 4,946,592 (#2 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 147,242.66 acres 
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
#9. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 368 miles
– Driving time: 7.6 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2024 visitors: 4,919,163 (#3 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres 
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
#10. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
– Distance: 399 miles
– Driving time: 10.3 hours
– Date founded: October 27, 1986
– 2024 visitors: 152,068 (#54 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 77,180.00 acres 
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
#11. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 413 miles
– Driving time: 9.1 hours
– Date founded: February 25, 1928
– 2024 visitors: 2,498,075 (#15 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 35,835.08 acres 
kojihirano // Shutterstock
#12. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 463 miles
– Driving time: 9.0 hours
– Date founded: October 14, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 946,369 (#26 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 92,876.75 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#13. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
– Distance: 477 miles
– Driving time: 9.2 hours
– Date founded: August 9, 1916
– 2024 visitors: 357,651 (#47 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 106,589.02 acres 
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
#14. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 483 miles
– Driving time: 10.4 hours
– Date founded: December 18, 1971
– 2024 visitors: 1,422,490 (#23 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 241,904.50 acres 
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
#15. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 483 miles
– Driving time: 8.4 hours
– Date founded: December 9, 1962
– 2024 visitors: 559,254 (#37 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 221,390.21 acres 
Manamana // Shutterstock
#16. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 541 miles
– Driving time: 16.0 hours
– Date founded: September 12, 1964
– 2024 visitors: 818,492 (#27 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 337,597.83 acres 
Manamana // Shutterstock
#17. Arches National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 574 miles
– Driving time: 10.7 hours
– Date founded: November 12, 1971
– 2024 visitors: 1,466,528 (#20 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 76,678.98 acres 
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
#18. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 585 miles
– Driving time: 12.1 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1906
– 2024 visitors: 480,065 (#41 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 52,485.17 acres 
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
#19. Redwood National Park (California)
– Distance: 589 miles
– Driving time: 13.9 hours
– Date founded: October 2, 1968
– 2024 visitors: 622,883 (#35 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 138,999.37 acres 
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
#20. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
– Distance: 645 miles
– Driving time: 11.9 hours
– Date founded: May 22, 1902
– 2024 visitors: 504,942 (#39 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 183,224.05 acres 
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
#21. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 659 miles
– Driving time: 12.6 hours
– Date founded: October 21, 1999
– 2024 visitors: 335,862 (#49 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 30,779.83 acres 
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#22. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
– Distance: 700 miles
– Driving time: 11.9 hours
– Date founded: December 20, 2019
– 2024 visitors: 702,236 (#33 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 146,344.31 acres 
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
#23. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 753 miles
– Driving time: 15.4 hours
– Date founded: September 24, 2004
– 2024 visitors: 437,661 (#44 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 107,345.73 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#24. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
– Distance: 773 miles
– Driving time: 15.3 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1929
– 2024 visitors: 3,628,222 (#9 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 310,044.36 acres 
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
#25. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
– Distance: 787 miles
– Driving time: 13.8 hours
– Date founded: October 15, 1966
– 2024 visitors: 226,134 (#52 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 86,367.10 acres 
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
#26. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
– Distance: 807 miles
– Driving time: 14.0 hours
– Date founded: May 14, 1930
– 2024 visitors: 460,474 (#43 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 46,766.45 acres 
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
#27. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 818 miles
– Driving time: 16.3 hours
– Date founded: January 26, 1915
– 2024 visitors: 4,154,349 (#5 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 265,847.74 acres 
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
#28. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
– Distance: 832 miles
– Driving time: 15.7 hours
– Date founded: March 1, 1872
– 2024 visitors: 4,744,353 (#4 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres 
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
#29. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 899 miles
– Driving time: 18.3 hours
– Date founded: March 2, 1899
– 2024 visitors: 1,620,006 (#19 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 236,381.64 acres 
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
#30. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
– Distance: 940 miles
– Driving time: 18.1 hours
– Date founded: June 12, 1944
– 2024 visitors: 561,458 (#36 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 801,163.21 acres 
f11photo // Shutterstock
#31. Olympic National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 995 miles
– Driving time: 19.9 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1938
– 2024 visitors: 3,717,267 (#8 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 922,649.41 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#32. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 1,019 miles
– Driving time: 20.5 hours
– Date founded: October 2, 1968
– 2024 visitors: 16,485 (#62 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 504,780.94 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#33. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
– Distance: 1,024 miles
– Driving time: 18.7 hours
– Date founded: January 9, 1903
– 2024 visitors: 489,399 (#40 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 33,970.84 acres 
Pung // Shutterstock
#34. Glacier National Park (Montana)
– Distance: 1,036 miles
– Date founded: May 11, 1910
– 2024 visitors: 3,208,755 (#10 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,013,126.39 acres 
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
#35. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
– Distance: 1,072 miles
– Driving time: 20.1 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 1978
– 2024 visitors: 1,094,245 (#25 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 242,755.94 acres 
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
#36. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
– Distance: 1,175 miles
– Driving time: 22.2 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 1978
– 2024 visitors: 732,951 (#31 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 70,446.89 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#37. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
– Distance: 1,434 miles
– Driving time: 24.3 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1921
– 2024 visitors: 2,461,812 (#16 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 5,554.15 acres 
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
#38. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
– Distance: 1,585 miles
– Driving time: 26.0 hours
– Date founded: February 22, 2018
– 2024 visitors: 2,563,052 (#14 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 192.83 acres 
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#39. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
– Distance: 1,636 miles
– Driving time: 31.6 hours
– Date founded: April 8, 1975
– 2024 visitors: 199,030 (#53 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 218,222.35 acres 
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
#40. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
– Distance: 1,768 miles
– Driving time: 29.3 hours
– Date founded: February 15, 2019
– 2024 visitors: 2,705,209 (#13 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,349.08 acres 
SveKo // Shutterstock
#41. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
– Distance: 1,806 miles
– Driving time: 34.5 hours
– Date founded: April 3, 1940
– 2024 visitors: 28,806 (#58 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 571,790.30 acres 
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#42. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
– Distance: 1,809 miles
– Driving time: 30.0 hours
– Date founded: July 1, 1941
– 2024 visitors: 747,042 (#28 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 72,472.87 acres 
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
#43. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 1,895 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 736,282 (#30 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres 
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
#44. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
– Distance: 1,961 miles
– Driving time: 32.2 hours
– Date founded: June 15, 1934
– 2024 visitors: 12,191,834 (#1 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 522,426.88 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#45. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
– Distance: 2,051 miles
– Driving time: 33.9 hours
– Date founded: October 11, 2000
– 2024 visitors: 2,912,454 (#12 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 32,571.89 acres 
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
#46. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
– Distance: 2,080 miles
– Driving time: 34.6 hours
– Date founded: December 27, 2020
– 2024 visitors: 1,811,937 (#17 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,021 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#47. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
– Distance: 2,136 miles
– Driving time: 35.1 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 2003
– 2024 visitors: 242,049 (#51 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,692.60 acres 
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
#48. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,139 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 81,670 (#56 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres 
Varina C // Shutterstock
#49. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 2,216 miles
– Driving time: 43.5 hours
– Date founded: October 26, 1992
– 2024 visitors: 84,873 (#55 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 64,701.22 acres 
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
#50. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
– Distance: 2,226 miles
– Driving time: 37.6 hours
– Date founded: December 26, 1935
– 2024 visitors: 1,720,211 (#18 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 200,445.92 acres 
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
#51. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,278 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 419,468 (#46 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 669,650.05 acres 
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
#52. Everglades National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 2,306 miles
– Driving time: 41.3 hours
– Date founded: May 30, 1934
– 2024 visitors: 741,983 (#29 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres 
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
#53. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 2,346 miles
– Driving time: 40.3 hours
– Date founded: June 28, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 512,213 (#38 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 172,971.11 acres 
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
#54. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,384 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 36,230 (#57 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres 
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
#55. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,426 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 18,505 (#60 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres 
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,448 miles
– Date founded: February 26, 1917
– 2024 visitors: 466,227 (#42 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres 
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
#57. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
– Distance: 2,485 miles
– Date founded: August 1, 1916
– 2024 visitors: 1,433,593 (#22 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 344,812.18 acres 
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
#58. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
– Distance: 2,492 miles
– Date founded: July 1, 1961
– 2024 visitors: 732,477 (#32 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 33,488.98 acres 
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#59. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,710 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 11,907 (#63 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres 
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
#60. Acadia National Park (Maine)
– Distance: 2,728 miles
– Driving time: 48.4 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2024 visitors: 3,961,661 (#7 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 49,071.40 acres 
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#61. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,825 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 17,233 (#61 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres 
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
– Distance: 3,451 miles
– Date founded: August 2, 1956
– 2024 visitors: 423,029 (#45 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,052.33 acres 
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
– Distance: 4,793 miles
– Date founded: October 31, 1988
– 2024 visitors: 22,567 (#59 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 8,256.67 acres 
