Which national parks are closest to Las Vegas?

Approximately 237 million people visited American national parks in 2020, representing a 28% year-over-year decrease attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. Many parks were forced to close to combat the spread of the virus, but that’s not the whole story—when the parks were open, many of them saw record crowds as throngs of people desperate to safely enjoy nature descended onto parks when they reopened.

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 Las Vegas. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 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.

Be sure to check with individual parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

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#1. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)

- Distance: 101 miles

- Driving time: 2.9 hours

- Date founded: October 31, 1994

- 2020 visitors: 820,023 (#22 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock

#2. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 132 miles

- Driving time: 3.3 hours

- Date founded: November 19, 1919

- 2020 visitors: 3,591,254 (#3 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

#3. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 161 miles

- Driving time: 4.7 hours

- Date founded: February 26, 1919

- 2020 visitors: 2,897,098 (#6 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock

#4. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

- Distance: 174 miles

- Driving time: 5.5 hours

- Date founded: October 31, 1994

- 2020 visitors: 2,399,542 (#10 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 795,155.85 acres

ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock

#5. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 183 miles

- Driving time: 5.3 hours

- Date founded: February 25, 1928

- 2020 visitors: 1,464,655 (#15 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

#6. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 195 miles

- Driving time: 5.4 hours

- Date founded: October 27, 1986

- 2020 visitors: 120,248 (#50 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

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#7. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 201 miles

- Driving time: 10.4 hours

- Date founded: March 4, 1940

- 2020 visitors: 415,077 (#35 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

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#8. Sequoia National Park (California)

- Distance: 205 miles

- Driving time: 9.5 hours

- Date founded: September 25, 1890

- 2020 visitors: 796,086 (#23 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 404,062.63 acres

Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock

#9. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 252 miles

- Driving time: 6.6 hours

- Date founded: December 18, 1971

- 2020 visitors: 981,038 (#20 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

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#10. Yosemite National Park (California)

- Distance: 272 miles

- Driving time: 9.4 hours

- Date founded: October 1, 1890

- 2020 visitors: 2,268,313 (#12 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 761,747.50 acres

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#11. Channel Islands National Park (California)

- Distance: 292 miles

- Date founded: March 5, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 167,290 (#47 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 249,561.00 acres

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#12. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 305 miles

- Driving time: 5.6 hours

- Date founded: December 9, 1962

- 2020 visitors: 384,483 (#38 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

#13. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 312 miles

- Driving time: 11.7 hours

- Date founded: September 12, 1964

- 2020 visitors: 493,914 (#30 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

Yhelfman // Shutterstock

#14. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 343 miles

- Driving time: 8.0 hours

- Date founded: January 10, 2013

- 2020 visitors: 165,740 (#48 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 26,685.73 acres

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#15. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 344 miles

- Driving time: 6.8 hours

- Date founded: November 12, 1971

- 2020 visitors: 1,238,083 (#17 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

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#16. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 368 miles

- Driving time: 9.1 hours

- Date founded: June 29, 1906

- 2020 visitors: 287,477 (#42 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

kojihirano // Shutterstock

#17. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 376 miles

- Driving time: 8.3 hours

- Date founded: October 14, 1994

- 2020 visitors: 762,226 (#24 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 92,867.42 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

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

- Distance: 433 miles

- Driving time: 8.7 hours

- Date founded: October 21, 1999

- 2020 visitors: 341,620 (#39 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#19. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 460 miles

- Driving time: 10.1 hours

- Date founded: August 9, 1916

- 2020 visitors: 542,274 (#29 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock

#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 536 miles

- Driving time: 11.9 hours

- Date founded: September 24, 2004

- 2020 visitors: 461,532 (#32 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 107,341.87 acres

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#21. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 557 miles

- Driving time: 11.3 hours

- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]

- 2020 visitors: 415,383 (#34 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#22. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 565 miles

- Driving time: 11.2 hours

- Date founded: February 26, 1929

- 2020 visitors: 3,289,638 (#5 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

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#23. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 588 miles

- Driving time: 12.3 hours

- Date founded: January 26, 1915

- 2020 visitors: 3,305,199 (#4 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

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#24. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 598 miles

- Driving time: 13.6 hours

- Date founded: May 22, 1902

- 2020 visitors: 670,500 (#26 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

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#25. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 598 miles

- Driving time: 15.6 hours

- Date founded: October 2, 1968

- 2020 visitors: 265,177 (#43 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

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#26. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)

- Distance: 625 miles

- Driving time: 11.6 hours

- Date founded: March 1, 1872

- 2020 visitors: 3,806,306 (#2 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

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#27. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 652 miles

- Driving time: 13.2 hours

- Date founded: October 15, 1966

- 2020 visitors: 151,256 (#49 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 86,367.10 acres

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#28. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 666 miles

- Driving time: 13.4 hours

- Date founded: May 14, 1930

- 2020 visitors: 183,835 (#45 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#29. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 794 miles

- Driving time: 14.7 hours

- Date founded: January 9, 1903

- 2020 visitors: 448,405 (#33 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

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#30. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 812 miles

- Driving time: 17.7 hours

- Date founded: March 2, 1899

- 2020 visitors: 1,160,754 (#18 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

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#31. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 835 miles

- Driving time: 17.5 hours

- Date founded: June 12, 1944

- 2020 visitors: 393,907 (#37 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

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#32. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 842 miles

- Driving time: 16.1 hours

- Date founded: November 10, 1978

- 2020 visitors: 916,932 (#21 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

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#33. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 870 miles

- Date founded: May 11, 1910

- 2020 visitors: 1,698,864 (#13 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

National Park Service/Deby Dixon // Wikimedia Commons

#34. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 917 miles

- Driving time: 20.3 hours

- Date founded: October 2, 1968

- 2020 visitors: 30,885 (#56 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

f11photo // Shutterstock

#35. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 920 miles

- Driving time: 21.0 hours

- Date founded: June 29, 1938

- 2020 visitors: 2,499,177 (#9 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

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#36. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 952 miles

- Driving time: 18.2 hours

- Date founded: November 10, 1978

- 2020 visitors: 551,303 (#28 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#37. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

- Distance: 1,243 miles

- Driving time: 21.4 hours

- Date founded: March 4, 1921

- 2020 visitors: 1,348,215 (#16 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 5,554.15 acres

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#38. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 1,371 miles

- Driving time: 22.7 hours

- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]

- 2020 visitors: 486,021 (#31 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 192.83 acres

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#39. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 1,407 miles

- Driving time: 27.3 hours

- Date founded: April 8, 1975

- 2020 visitors: 263,091 (#44 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

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#40. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 1,545 miles

- Driving time: 25.4 hours

- Date founded: February 15, 2019

- 2020 visitors: 2,293,106 (#11 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 15,349.08 acres

MDuchek // Wikimedia Commons

#41. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 1,575 miles

- Driving time: 30.6 hours

- Date founded: April 3, 1940

- 2020 visitors: 6,493 (#59 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 571,790.30 acres

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#42. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 1,601 miles

- Driving time: 27.6 hours

- Date founded: July 1, 1941

- 2020 visitors: 290,392 (#41 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Aviator31 // Wikimedia Commons

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

- Distance: 1,758 miles

- Driving time: 29.3 hours

- Date founded: June 15, 1934

- 2020 visitors: 12,095,720 (#1 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#44. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 1,829 miles

- Driving time: 29.9 hours

- Date founded: October 11, 2000

- 2020 visitors: 2,755,628 (#7 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Alan Wu // Wikimedia Commons

#45. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 1,835 miles

- Date founded: December 2, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 5,748 (#60 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres

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

- Distance: 1,867 miles

- Driving time: 31.3 hours

- Date founded: December 27, 2020

- 2020 visitors: 1,054,374 (#19 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 7,021 acres

Jtmartin57 // Wikimedia Commons

#47. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 1,939 miles

- Driving time: 32.3 hours

- Date founded: November 10, 2003

- 2020 visitors: 119,306 (#51 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 26,476.47 acres

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#48. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 2,011 miles

- Driving time: 34.8 hours

- Date founded: December 26, 1935

- 2020 visitors: 1,666,265 (#14 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 199,223.77 acres

U.S. National Park Service // Wikimedia Commons

#49. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 2,066 miles

- Driving time: 41.0 hours

- Date founded: October 26, 1992

- 2020 visitors: 48,543 (#55 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Sewtex // Wikimedia Commons

#50. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,081 miles

- Date founded: December 2, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 16,655 (#57 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres

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#51. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 2,149 miles

- Driving time: 38.6 hours

- Date founded: May 30, 1934

- 2020 visitors: 702,319 (#25 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

NPS // Wikimedia Commons

#52. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 2,184 miles

- Driving time: 37.6 hours

- Date founded: June 28, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 402,770 (#36 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 172,971.11 acres

National Park Service, Alaska Region // Wikimedia Commons

#53. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,244 miles

- Date founded: December 2, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 115,882 (#52 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 669,650.05 acres

Katmai National Park and Preserve // Wikimedia Commons

#54. Katmai National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,369 miles

- Date founded: December 2, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 51,511 (#54 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres

Ryjil Christianson // Wikimedia Commons

#55. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,392 miles

- Date founded: December 2, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 4,948 (#61 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres

Denali National Park and Preserve // Wikimedia Commons

#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,396 miles

- Date founded: February 26, 1917

- 2020 visitors: 54,850 (#53 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

#57. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 2,501 miles

- Driving time: 44.5 hours

- Date founded: February 26, 1919

- 2020 visitors: 2,669,034 (#8 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

National Park Service, Alaska Region // Wikimedia Commons

#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,639 miles

- Date founded: December 2, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 2,872 (#63 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres

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#59. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)

- Distance: 2,695 miles

- Date founded: August 1, 1916

- 2020 visitors: 589,775 (#27 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 325,605.28 acres

MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock

#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)

- Distance: 2,697 miles

- Date founded: July 1, 1961

- 2020 visitors: 319,147 (#40 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 33,264.62 acres

LCGS Russ // Wikimedia Commons

#61. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,764 miles

- Date founded: December 2, 1980

- 2020 visitors: 11,185 (#58 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: 3,288 miles

- Date founded: August 2, 1956

- 2020 visitors: 167,540 (#46 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 15,052.53 acres

Tavita Togia, National Park Service // Wikimedia Commons

#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)

- Distance: 5,023 miles

- Date founded: October 31, 1988

- 2020 visitors: 4,819 (#62 highest among all national parks)

- Park area: 8,256.67 acres