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.
MORE: Get outside at one of these 25 national parks close to Phoenix
Stacker compiled a list of the closest national parks to Tucson. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Tucson, AZ 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. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 76 miles
– Driving time: 2.9 hours
– Date founded: October 14, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 946,369 (#26 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 92,876.75 acres
#2. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 233 miles
– Driving time: 6.0 hours
– Date founded: December 9, 1962
– 2024 visitors: 559,254 (#37 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 221,390.21 acres
#3. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
– Distance: 265 miles
– Driving time: 6.2 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 2,991,874 (#11 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 795,155.85 acres
#4. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 272 miles
– Driving time: 6.1 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2024 visitors: 4,919,163 (#3 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
#5. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
– Distance: 331 miles
– Driving time: 5.8 hours
– Date founded: December 20, 2019
– 2024 visitors: 702,236 (#33 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 146,344.31 acres
#6. Zion National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 364 miles
– Driving time: 10.2 hours
– Date founded: November 19, 1919
– 2024 visitors: 4,946,592 (#2 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 147,242.66 acres
#7. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 376 miles
– Driving time: 10.2 hours
– Date founded: February 25, 1928
– 2024 visitors: 2,498,075 (#15 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 35,835.08 acres
#8. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 395 miles
– Driving time: 9.9 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1906
– 2024 visitors: 480,065 (#41 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 52,485.17 acres
#9. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
– Distance: 404 miles
– Driving time: 9.7 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 1,440,484 (#21 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,408,395.63 acres
#10. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
– Distance: 406 miles
– Driving time: 7.7 hours
– Date founded: October 15, 1966
– 2024 visitors: 226,134 (#52 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 86,367.10 acres
#11. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 420 miles
– Driving time: 11.9 hours
– Date founded: December 18, 1971
– 2024 visitors: 1,422,490 (#23 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 241,904.50 acres
#12. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
– Distance: 430 miles
– Driving time: 7.8 hours
– Date founded: May 14, 1930
– 2024 visitors: 460,474 (#43 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 46,766.45 acres
#13. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 432 miles
– Driving time: 14.3 hours
– Date founded: September 12, 1964
– 2024 visitors: 818,492 (#27 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 337,597.83 acres
#14. Channel Islands National Park (California)
– Distance: 462 miles
– Date founded: March 5, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 262,581 (#50 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 249,561.00 acres
#15. Arches National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 469 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
#16. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
– Distance: 493 miles
– Driving time: 12.4 hours
– Date founded: October 27, 1986
– 2024 visitors: 152,068 (#54 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 77,180.00 acres
#17. Sequoia National Park (California)
– Distance: 493 miles
– Driving time: 14.3 hours
– Date founded: September 25, 1890
– 2024 visitors: 1,309,573 (#24 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 404,062.63 acres
#18. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 500 miles
– Driving time: 12.9 hours
– Date founded: October 21, 1999
– 2024 visitors: 335,862 (#49 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 30,779.83 acres
#19. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
– Distance: 503 miles
– Driving time: 15.3 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1940
– 2024 visitors: 699,389 (#34 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 461,901.20 acres
#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 525 miles
– Driving time: 11.4 hours
– Date founded: September 24, 2004
– 2024 visitors: 437,661 (#44 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 107,345.73 acres
#21. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
– Distance: 545 miles
– Driving time: 11.7 hours
– Date founded: June 12, 1944
– 2024 visitors: 561,458 (#36 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 801,163.21 acres
#22. Yosemite National Park (California)
– Distance: 588 miles
– Driving time: 14.5 hours
– Date founded: October 1, 1890
– 2024 visitors: 4,121,807 (#6 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 761,747.50 acres
#23. Pinnacles National Park (California)
– Distance: 614 miles
– Driving time: 12.4 hours
– Date founded: January 10, 2013
– 2024 visitors: 354,076 (#48 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,685.73 acres
#24. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 667 miles
– Driving time: 15.5 hours
– Date founded: January 26, 1915
– 2024 visitors: 4,154,349 (#5 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 265,847.74 acres
#25. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
– Distance: 791 miles
– Driving time: 16.5 hours
– Date founded: August 9, 1916
– 2024 visitors: 357,651 (#47 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 106,589.02 acres
