Wangkun Jia // ShutterstockClosest national parks to Pittsburgh
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 Pittsburgh. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Pittsburgh, PA 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 parkāfor some places within the metro area, the actual distance may be slightly shorter or longer to reach the closest entryway to a park.
Zack Frank // Shutterstock#1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
– Distance: 105 miles
– Driving time: 2.1 hours
– Date founded: October 11, 2000
– 2025 visitors: 3,025,325 (#11 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 32,571.88 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock#2. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
– Distance: 154 miles
– Driving time: 4.6 hours
– Date founded: December 26, 1935
– 2025 visitors: 1,682,152 (#19 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 199,223.77 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock#3. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
– Distance: 177 miles
– Driving time: 3.7 hours
– Date founded: December 27, 2020
– 2025 visitors: 1,958,440 (#17 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,021 acres
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock#4. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
– Distance: 385 miles
– Driving time: 8.4 hours
– Date founded: June 15, 1934
– 2025 visitors: 11,527,939 (#1 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock#5. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
– Distance: 386 miles
– Driving time: 6.6 hours
– Date founded: February 15, 2019
– 2025 visitors: 2,629,497 (#13 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,349.08 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock#6. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
– Distance: 406 miles
– Driving time: 7.8 hours
– Date founded: July 1, 1941
– 2025 visitors: 660,734 (#34 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 54,011.91 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock#7. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
– Distance: 462 miles
– Driving time: 9.8 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 2003
– 2025 visitors: 287,833 (#49 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,476.47 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock#8. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
– Distance: 567 miles
– Driving time: 9.5 hours
– Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
– 2025 visitors: 2,209,028 (#15 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 192.83 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock#9. Acadia National Park (Maine)
– Distance: 652 miles
– Driving time: 14.1 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2025 visitors: 4,079,318 (#7 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 49,076.63 acres
SveKo // Shutterstock#10. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
– Distance: 682 miles
– Driving time: 14.2 hours
– Date founded: April 3, 1940
– 2025 visitors: 29,091 (#60 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock#11. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
– Distance: 832 miles
– Driving time: 14.9 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1921
– 2025 visitors: 2,494,611 (#14 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 5,554.15 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock#12. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
– Distance: 850 miles
– Driving time: 17.0 hours
– Date founded: April 8, 1975
– 2025 visitors: 206,326 (#53 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 218,222.35 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock#13. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 1,019 miles
– Driving time: 18.9 hours
– Date founded: June 28, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 486,567 (#41 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 172,971.11 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock#14. Everglades National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 1,044 miles
– Driving time: 20.0 hours
– Date founded: May 30, 1934
– 2025 visitors: 778,198 (#31 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock#15. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 1,104 miles
– Driving time: 21.9 hours
– Date founded: October 26, 1992
– 2025 visitors: 89,355 (#56 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock#16. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
– Distance: 1,183 miles
– Driving time: 19.8 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 1978
– 2025 visitors: 1,139,361 (#26 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock#17. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
– Distance: 1,232 miles
– Driving time: 21.2 hours
– Date founded: January 9, 1903
– 2025 visitors: 606,258 (#37 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock#18. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
– Distance: 1,260 miles
– Driving time: 21.6 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 1978
– 2025 visitors: 729,893 (#33 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock#19. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 1,353 miles
– Driving time: 22.2 hours
– Date founded: January 26, 1915
– 2025 visitors: 4,171,431 (#6 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock#20. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 1,388 miles
– Driving time: 24.1 hours
– Date founded: September 24, 2004
– 2025 visitors: 432,498 (#44 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 107,341.87 acres
Doug Meek // Shutterstock#21. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
– Distance: 1,480 miles
– Driving time: 25.2 hours
– Date founded: May 14, 1930
– 2025 visitors: 410,778 (#46 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 46,766.45 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock#22. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 1,490 miles
– Driving time: 26.3 hours
– Date founded: October 21, 1999
– 2025 visitors: 250,086 (#50 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 30,779.83 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock#23. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
– Distance: 1,511 miles
– Driving time: 26.3 hours
– Date founded: October 15, 1966
– 2025 visitors: 206,423 (#52 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 86,367.10 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock#24. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
– Distance: 1,531 miles
– Driving time: 28.2 hours
– Date founded: June 12, 1944
– 2025 visitors: 568,104 (#38 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock#25. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
– Distance: 1,549 miles
– Driving time: 26.0 hours
– Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
– 2025 visitors: 659,742 (#35 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 146,344.31 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock#26. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 1,556 miles
– Driving time: 28.4 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1906
– 2025 visitors: 463,130 (#43 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock#27. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
– Distance: 1,582 miles
– Driving time: 27.9 hours
– Date founded: March 1, 1872
– 2025 visitors: 4,762,988 (#3 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock#28. Arches National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 1,585 miles
– Driving time: 26.8 hours
– Date founded: November 12, 1971
– 2025 visitors: 1,511,740 (#21 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 76,678.98 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock#29. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
– Distance: 1,599 miles
– Driving time: 27.4 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1929
– 2025 visitors: 3,800,648 (#8 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock#30. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 1,612 miles
– Driving time: 33.8 hours
– Date founded: September 12, 1964
– 2025 visitors: 796,057 (#29 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 337,597.83 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
#31. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 1,672 miles
– Driving time: 27.2 hours
– Date founded: December 9, 1962
– 2025 visitors: 315,951 (#48 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 221,390.21 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock#32. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 1,677 miles
– Driving time: 28.4 hours
– Date founded: December 18, 1971
– 2025 visitors: 1,388,476 (#22 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 241,904.50 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock#33. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 1,742 miles
– Driving time: 30.3 hours
– Date founded: February 25, 1928
– 2025 visitors: 1,967,367 (#16 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Pung // Shutterstock#34. Glacier National Park (Montana)
– Distance: 1,764 miles
– Date founded: May 11, 1910
– 2025 visitors: 3,136,557 (#10 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock#35. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
– Distance: 1,769 miles
– Date founded: August 2, 1956
– 2025 visitors: 471,074 (#42 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock#36. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 1,773 miles
– Driving time: 30.7 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2025 visitors: 4,430,653 (#4 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock#37. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 1,791 miles
– Driving time: 31.0 hours
– Date founded: October 14, 1994
– 2025 visitors: 847,749 (#28 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 92,867.42 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock#38. Zion National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 1,793 miles
– Driving time: 30.9 hours
– Date founded: November 19, 1919
– 2025 visitors: 4,984,525 (#2 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 147,242.66 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock#39. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
– Distance: 1,828 miles
– Driving time: 30.9 hours
– Date founded: October 27, 1986
– 2025 visitors: 161,210 (#54 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock#40. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
– Distance: 2,015 miles
– Driving time: 34.1 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2025 visitors: 1,320,134 (#24 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock#41. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
– Distance: 2,029 miles
– Driving time: 34.4 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2025 visitors: 2,932,644 (#12 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock#42. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 2,092 miles
– Driving time: 38.8 hours
– Date founded: October 2, 1968
– 2025 visitors: 46,925 (#57 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 504,780.94 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock#43. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
– Distance: 2,093 miles
– Driving time: 41.9 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1940
– 2025 visitors: 779,791 (#30 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Virrage Images // Shutterstock#44. Sequoia National Park (California)
– Distance: 2,108 miles
– Driving time: 40.7 hours
– Date founded: September 25, 1890
– 2025 visitors: 1,378,337 (#23 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 404,062.63 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock#45. Yosemite National Park (California)
– Distance: 2,121 miles
– Driving time: 39.7 hours
– Date founded: October 1, 1890
– 2025 visitors: 4,278,413 (#5 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock#46. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 2,121 miles
– Driving time: 37.4 hours
– Date founded: March 2, 1899
– 2025 visitors: 1,635,342 (#20 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock#47. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
– Distance: 2,170 miles
– Driving time: 38.3 hours
– Date founded: May 22, 1902
– 2025 visitors: 632,242 (#36 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 183,224.05 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock#48. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
– Distance: 2,175 miles
– Driving time: 36.7 hours
– Date founded: August 9, 1916
– 2025 visitors: 504,777 (#40 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 106,589.02 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock#49. Olympic National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 2,199 miles
– Driving time: 39.5 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1938
– 2025 visitors: 3,584,187 (#9 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock#50. Channel Islands National Park (California)
– Distance: 2,208 miles
– Date founded: March 5, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 227,186 (#51 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock#51. Pinnacles National Park (California)
– Distance: 2,237 miles
– Driving time: 39.3 hours
– Date founded: January 10, 2013
– 2025 visitors: 343,208 (#47 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock#52. Redwood National Park (California)
– Distance: 2,289 miles
– Driving time: 41.6 hours
– Date founded: October 2, 1968
– 2025 visitors: 1,202,480 (#25 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,754 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 740,044 (#32 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock#54. WrangellāSt. Elias National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,930 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 108,840 (#55 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 3,196 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 425,369 (#45 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 669,650.05 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 3,197 miles
– Date founded: February 26, 1917
– 2025 visitors: 543,300 (#39 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock#57. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 3,253 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 14,923 (#62 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock#58. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 3,312 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 19,778 (#61 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock#59. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 3,401 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 34,479 (#59 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 3,412 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2025 visitors: 7,786 (#63 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock#61. HaleakalÄ National Park (Hawaii)
– Distance: 4,606 miles
– Date founded: July 1, 1961
– 2025 visitors: 853,711 (#27 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 33,264.62 acres
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock#62. HawaiŹ»i Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
– Distance: 4,610 miles
– Date founded: August 1, 1916
– 2025 visitors: 1,877,854 (#18 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 325,605.28 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
– Distance: 6,895 miles
– Date founded: October 31, 1988
– 2025 visitors: 43,258 (#58 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 8,256.67 acres