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 Abilene. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Abilene, TX 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.
#1. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 277 miles
- Driving time: 5.1 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
#2. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 304 miles
- Driving time: 6.2 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
#3. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 304 miles
- Driving time: 7.5 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
#4. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 377 miles
- Driving time: 7.4 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
#5. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 410 miles
- Driving time: 6.9 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
#6. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 490 miles
- Driving time: 9.5 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,341.87 acres
#7. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 595 miles
- Driving time: 12.3 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
#8. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 606 miles
- Driving time: 10.2 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
#9. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 617 miles
- Driving time: 13.2 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
#10. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 630 miles
- Driving time: 11.1 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
#11. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 638 miles
- Driving time: 12.2 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
#12. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 685 miles
- Driving time: 11.4 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
#13. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 699 miles
- Driving time: 19.0 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
#14. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 701 miles
- Driving time: 14.5 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
#15. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 752 miles
- Driving time: 14.0 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
#16. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 758 miles
- Driving time: 16.4 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
#17. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 789 miles
- Driving time: 17.5 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
#18. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 794 miles
- Driving time: 15.0 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
#19. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 794 miles
- Driving time: 15.6 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
#20. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 827 miles
- Driving time: 17.5 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
#21. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 839 miles
- Driving time: 13.6 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
#22. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 934 miles
- Driving time: 19.3 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
#23. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 942 miles
- Driving time: 16.1 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
#24. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 943 miles
- Driving time: 16.5 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
#25. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 954 miles
- Driving time: 15.9 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
#26. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 983 miles
- Driving time: 18.7 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
#27. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 1,010 miles
- Driving time: 17.8 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
#28. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,019 miles
- Driving time: 19.8 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
#29. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,021 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
#30. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 1,101 miles
- Driving time: 17.9 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,476.47 acres
#31. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,112 miles
- Driving time: 24.6 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
#32. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,115 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
#33. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 1,120 miles
- Driving time: 19.1 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
#34. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,144 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
#35. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,155 miles
- Driving time: 25.4 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
#36. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,163 miles
- Driving time: 19.8 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
#37. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 1,172 miles
- Driving time: 20.1 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
#38. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,177 miles
- Driving time: 23.9 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
#39. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,227 miles
- Driving time: 22.7 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
#40. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,238 miles
- Driving time: 23.6 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
#41. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,252 miles
- Driving time: 22.3 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
#42. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 1,272 miles
- Driving time: 21.2 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 199,223.77 acres
#43. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,275 miles
- Driving time: 22.6 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
#44. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,329 miles
- Driving time: 25.5 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
#45. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 1,350 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
#46. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,417 miles
- Driving time: 29.2 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
#47. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,470 miles
- Driving time: 30.8 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
#48. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,529 miles
- Driving time: 29.3 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
#49. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,581 miles
- Driving time: 32.1 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
#50. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,640 miles
- Driving time: 32.7 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
#51. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,881 miles
- Driving time: 33.9 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
#52. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 2,380 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,495 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,730 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,945 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,046 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,089 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
#58. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,106 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
#59. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,229 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,374 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,530 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres
#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 3,546 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres
#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,680 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
