# How close are you to the nearest National Park? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2016, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091 "2016-03-25T03:07:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/81 "2016-03-28T15:33:24Z")
For National Parks proper, I’m about 2 hours from Death Valley (main park - 1.5 hours from [Devils Hole](https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/devils-hole.htm)) and 2.5 hours from Zion. Within a 4 hour drive, I can get to Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon as well. To cast a wider net, it’s 20 minutes to Lake Mead National Recreation Area and 30 minutes to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/82 "2016-03-28T15:33:42Z")
Less than 30 minutes to [Jean Lafitte National Park](https://www.nps.gov/jela/index.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/83 "2016-03-28T15:53:00Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I’m in NE Kansas. It appears I’m about equidistant between some national parks in Colorado, and Hot Springs in Arkansas. > > There’s a National Historic site right here in town, the guy from the park service gets to wear one of those “ranger hats”. But it’s not a park, just a historic site. **Baker** there is the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve down in Chase County which is run by the NPS but I’m not sure if it is actually considered a “National Park”. I thought I had read something somewhere that said it was the only National Park in Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/84 "2016-03-28T17:51:02Z")
interesting question, and I didn’t have the foggiest idea when I read the OP. In fact, even after looking through a National Park Service site for the [Ice Age National Scenic Trail](https://www.nps.gov/iatr/planyourvisit/maps.htm), I can’t even say of it counts as one. There are bits of it within a few minutes of my home. As far as more conventional parks, it looks like there’s one along the Mississippi maybe 3 hours drive away, and one south of Lake Superior, about 8 hours away. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/85 "2016-03-28T18:24:15Z")
I can get to the Mowich Lake or Carbon River entrance to Mt. Rainier in under an hour, though they only go a little ways in. The nearest major entrance is closer to 2 hours, but it will not be open for another month or two. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/86 "2016-03-28T18:52:07Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I’m a 20-minute subway ride from Central Park, which I believe is designated as the smallest National Park… I think Central Park is owned and operated by NYC. It is policed by the NYPD and New York park rangers, not Feds. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/87 "2016-03-28T19:12:10Z")
You might not have to go too much farther, though - Ellis Island and Liberty Island are managed by the Park Service as the Statue of Liberty National Monument. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/88 "2016-03-28T20:01:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I live within walking distance of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. If you want something that says park in the title, the closest one is Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls which is about seventy miles away. If you want an indisputable National Park, the closest one is Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio which is about 260 miles away. What about Fort Stanwix, a revolutionary war fort, in Rome, NY? It might officially be called a National Monument rather than park, but you can still get your National Park booklet stamped there. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/89 "2016-03-28T23:39:09Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Only if you ignore the Seattle Unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Park. It is located in an 1889 building at 319 2nd Ave in Seattle. No, Hot Springs is indeed the smallest National Park. Klondike Gold Rush is a National _Historical_ Park. The difference in these designations (along with National Monuments, Battlefields, Seashores, Preserves, Recreation Areas, and so on) can be significant in terms of the activities permitted and protections afforded. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/90 "2016-03-28T23:49:54Z")
105 miles (by car) to Pinnacles. Got a crapload of National Recreation Areas, National Monuments, National Wildlife Refuges, National Forests, and National Estuarine Research Reserves all closer (not to mention State, County, and Regional parks), but I believe Pinnacles is the closest National Park. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2016, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/91 "2016-03-28T23:51:51Z")
National Park? Hmmm. And hour or two. Rocky Mountain NP is probably the closest. My property/home backs up to National Forest though. White River. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/92 "2016-03-29T04:38:43Z")
As a kid in Kentucky I was within a few hours drive to Mammoth Cave and a days drive to Smoky Mountains National Park. (Not sure of the exact name.) I think I went to camp in the Daniel Boone National Forest. In Albuquerque I’m within a days drive to Carlsbad Caverns and Arches and a long days drive to Rocky Mountains. ---
**Author:** ![Wallet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e99b99/32.png) [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/93 "2016-03-29T10:42:53Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > My ancestors were the original inhabitants of the Wyckoff House, in Brooklyn, which is a National Landmark. Just wanted to say I think this is the coolest thing _ever_! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/94 "2016-03-29T13:38:14Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > My home is approximately 850 metres (2800 feet) from the nearest edge of the [Table Mountain National Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Mountain_National_Park). (Which doesn’t make me particularly special since there are probably hundreds of thousand of people living within a similar distance of the park.) Yep. You’re not even the closest on the Dope 🙂 627m for me as the crow flies. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/95 "2016-03-29T13:44:35Z")
About an hours drive from the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, also known as the Arch. Also Missouri’s tallest building. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/96 "2016-03-29T14:05:02Z")
My house is a few blocks away from the **Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site** , which is run by the National Park Service. Not far away are the sites in Salem and surrounding towns, also run by the NPS. The Salem ones are great. If you’re looking for an actual National Park, the closest is the Boston National Park, Nine miles away. it includes the Massachusetts Old State House, the Paul Revere House, and the Old North Church. It’s not most people’s idea of a National Park – there’s no green space, and the three elements are separated, with a lot of the city of Boston in between. If you’re looking for something that actually _looks_ like what most people imagine a National Park looks like, then that would be the Boston Harbor Island Park, which is still about 10 miles away, but much harder to reach, since you need a boat to get there. The Park service runs service to some of these. Think _Shutter Island_, if you saw that movie. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/97 "2016-03-29T15:44:05Z")
My closest is [Canaveral.](https://www.nps.gov/cana/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/98 "2016-03-29T16:20:56Z")
I would have guessed Big Bend (8.5 hours), but Hot Springs is closer (7 hours). And I’m sure I’d pass a dozen National Historical Parks and a few National Monuments on the way. Thanks for the map, **drewder**. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/99 "2016-03-29T16:31:51Z")
\*\*Drewder[/]'s cite is interesting, but I have to question its assumption. It says there are 59 “officially designated” National Parks, but the National Park’s own website says there are 378 “units to the National Park System”. I don’t see why those 378 units are any less official than the 59 his cited site lists. See this link to the U. Texas at Austin website: [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national\_parks.html](http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks.html) That includes Boston National Historic Park, which I listed. If you go by what **drewder** linked to, the closest is Acadia National Park, which is basically Mt. Desert Island, with Bar Harbor and Bass Harbor. That’s at least a six hour drive from me. I’ll take the Boston National Historic Park, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091/100 "2016-03-29T18:25:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > My house is a few blocks away from the **Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site** , which is run by the National Park Service I have always wanted to visit that site. An ancestor, a Scottish POW from the Battle of Dunbar, was shipped there as a slave/indentured worker by the English. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-close-are-you-to-the-nearest-national-park/750091.md?page=6)