Closest national parks to Olympia
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 Olympia. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA 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. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 51 miles
- Driving time: 2.4 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2024 visitors: 1,620,006 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
#2. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 78 miles
- Driving time: 3.5 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2024 visitors: 3,717,267 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
#3. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 144 miles
- Driving time: 3.8 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2024 visitors: 16,485 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
#4. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 278 miles
- Driving time: 6.6 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2024 visitors: 504,942 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres
#5. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 393 miles
- Driving time: 8.5 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2024 visitors: 622,883 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
#6. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 430 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2024 visitors: 3,208,755 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,126.39 acres
#7. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 450 miles
- Driving time: 10.6 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2024 visitors: 357,651 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
#8. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 617 miles
- Driving time: 14.0 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2024 visitors: 4,744,353 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
#9. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 626 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2024 visitors: 3,628,222 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
#10. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 651 miles
- Driving time: 15.2 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2024 visitors: 4,121,807 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
#11. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 698 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2024 visitors: 152,068 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
#12. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 727 miles
- Driving time: 13.9 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2024 visitors: 354,076 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
#13. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 733 miles
- Driving time: 18.5 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2024 visitors: 699,389 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
#14. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 756 miles
- Driving time: 18.3 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2024 visitors: 1,309,573 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
#15. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 801 miles
- Driving time: 17.8 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2024 visitors: 1,440,484 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,395.63 acres
#16. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 832 miles
- Driving time: 18.3 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2024 visitors: 4,946,592 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
#17. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 845 miles
- Driving time: 18.2 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2024 visitors: 2,498,075 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
#18. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 845 miles
- Driving time: 17.1 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2024 visitors: 1,422,490 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
#19. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 880 miles
- Driving time: 17.5 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2024 visitors: 1,466,528 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres
#20. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 890 miles
- Driving time: 22.6 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2024 visitors: 818,492 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
#21. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 910 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 262,581 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
#22. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 914 miles
- Driving time: 17.3 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2024 visitors: 732,951 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
#23. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 931 miles
- Driving time: 21.6 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2024 visitors: 4,919,163 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
#24. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 959 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2024 visitors: 335,862 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
#25. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 969 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2024 visitors: 489,399 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
#26. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 972 miles
- Driving time: 20.8 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2024 visitors: 4,154,349 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,847.74 acres
#27. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 977 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2024 visitors: 2,991,874 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
#28. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 992 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 736,282 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
#29. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 996 miles
- Driving time: 19.4 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2024 visitors: 480,065 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
#30. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,011 miles
- Driving time: 18.8 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2024 visitors: 1,094,245 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
#31. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,063 miles
- Driving time: 21.9 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2024 visitors: 559,254 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
#32. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,087 miles
- Driving time: 22.3 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2024 visitors: 437,661 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,345.73 acres
#33. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,205 miles
- Driving time: 25.7 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2024 visitors: 946,369 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,876.75 acres
#34. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,238 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 81,670 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
#35. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,313 miles
- Driving time: 26.2 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019
- 2024 visitors: 702,236 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
#36. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,392 miles
- Driving time: 26.5 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2024 visitors: 199,030 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
#37. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,406 miles
- Driving time: 28.6 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2024 visitors: 226,134 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
#38. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,408 miles
- Driving time: 27.6 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2024 visitors: 460,474 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
#39. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,409 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 419,468 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
#40. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,548 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 36,230 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
#41. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,554 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2024 visitors: 466,227 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
#42. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,557 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 18,505 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
#43. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 1,593 miles
- Driving time: 30.7 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2024 visitors: 28,806 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
#44. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,611 miles
- Driving time: 32.6 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2024 visitors: 561,458 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
#45. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 1,741 miles
- Driving time: 31.4 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018
- 2024 visitors: 2,563,052 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
#46. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,768 miles
- Driving time: 34.2 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2024 visitors: 2,461,812 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
#47. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 1,795 miles
- Driving time: 31.6 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2024 visitors: 2,705,209 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
#48. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,799 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 11,907 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
#49. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 1,922 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 17,233 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
#50. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 1,984 miles
- Driving time: 36.3 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2024 visitors: 747,042 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 72,472.87 acres
#51. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 2,067 miles
- Driving time: 36.1 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2024 visitors: 2,912,454 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.89 acres
#52. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 2,160 miles
- Driving time: 39.6 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2024 visitors: 12,191,834 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
#53. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 2,190 miles
- Driving time: 39.8 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2024 visitors: 1,811,937 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
#54. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 2,303 miles
- Driving time: 42.6 hours
- Date founded: December 26, 1935
- 2024 visitors: 1,720,211 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 200,445.92 acres
#55. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 2,364 miles
- Driving time: 43.4 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2024 visitors: 242,049 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,692.60 acres
#56. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 2,598 miles
- Driving time: 50.5 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2024 visitors: 3,961,661 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,071.40 acres
#57. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,599 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2024 visitors: 732,477 (#32 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,488.98 acres
#58. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 2,635 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2024 visitors: 1,433,593 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 344,812.18 acres
#59. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,677 miles
- Driving time: 52.8 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2024 visitors: 84,873 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
#60. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,730 miles
- Driving time: 51.0 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2024 visitors: 741,983 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
#61. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 2,753 miles
- Driving time: 49.9 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 512,213 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 3,810 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2024 visitors: 423,029 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.33 acres
#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 5,148 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2024 visitors: 22,567 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
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This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 2:43 AM.