Closest national parks to Bowling Green

Published 12:24 pm Monday, April 18, 2022

Jtmartin57 // Wikimedia Commons

Closest national parks to Bowling Green

Approximately 237 million people visited American national parks in 2020, representing a 28% year-over-year decrease attributed to the coronavirus pandemic. Many parks were forced to close to combat the spread of the virus, but that’s not the whole story—when the parks were open, many of them saw record crowds as throngs of people desperate to safely enjoy nature descended onto parks when they reopened.

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 Bowling Green. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Bowling Green, KY 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.

Be sure to check with individual parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

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#1. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

– Distance: 19 miles
– Driving time: 0.6 hours
– Date founded: July 1, 1941
– 2020 visitors: 290,392 (#41 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 54,011.91 acres

Aviator31 // Wikimedia Commons

#2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)

– Distance: 186 miles
– Driving time: 4.7 hours
– Date founded: June 15, 1934
– 2020 visitors: 12,095,720 (#1 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 522,426.88 acres

Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

#3. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

– Distance: 234 miles
– Driving time: 4.6 hours
– Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
– 2020 visitors: 486,021 (#31 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 192.83 acres

Steve Heap // Shutterstock

#4. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)

– Distance: 300 miles
– Driving time: 6.1 hours
– Date founded: December 27, 2020
– 2020 visitors: 1,054,374 (#19 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,021 acres

Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock

#5. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

– Distance: 320 miles
– Driving time: 6.2 hours
– Date founded: February 15, 2019
– 2020 visitors: 2,293,106 (#11 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,349.08 acres

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#6. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

– Distance: 389 miles
– Driving time: 8.6 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 2003
– 2020 visitors: 119,306 (#51 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,476.47 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#7. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

– Distance: 389 miles
– Driving time: 6.8 hours
– Date founded: October 11, 2000
– 2020 visitors: 2,755,628 (#7 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 32,571.88 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#8. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

– Distance: 413 miles
– Driving time: 7.0 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1921
– 2020 visitors: 1,348,215 (#16 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 5,554.15 acres

Jon Bilous // Shutterstock

#9. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

– Distance: 452 miles
– Driving time: 9.6 hours
– Date founded: December 26, 1935
– 2020 visitors: 1,666,265 (#14 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 199,223.77 acres

MDuchek // Wikimedia Commons

#10. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

– Distance: 771 miles
– Driving time: 14.8 hours
– Date founded: April 3, 1940
– 2020 visitors: 6,493 (#59 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 571,790.30 acres

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#11. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

– Distance: 856 miles
– Driving time: 16.3 hours
– Date founded: April 8, 1975
– 2020 visitors: 263,091 (#44 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 218,222.35 acres

NPS // Wikimedia Commons

#12. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

– Distance: 869 miles
– Driving time: 14.9 hours
– Date founded: June 28, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 402,770 (#36 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 172,971.11 acres

Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock

#13. Everglades National Park (Florida)

– Distance: 870 miles
– Driving time: 15.9 hours
– Date founded: May 30, 1934
– 2020 visitors: 702,319 (#25 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

U.S. National Park Service // Wikimedia Commons

#14. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

– Distance: 881 miles
– Driving time: 17.9 hours
– Date founded: October 26, 1992
– 2020 visitors: 48,543 (#55 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 64,701.22 acres

Matt Ragen // Shutterstock

#15. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

– Distance: 965 miles
– Driving time: 18.0 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 1978
– 2020 visitors: 916,932 (#21 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 242,755.94 acres

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#16. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

– Distance: 1,006 miles
– Driving time: 19.1 hours
– Date founded: January 9, 1903
– 2020 visitors: 448,405 (#33 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 33,970.84 acres

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#17. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

– Distance: 1,051 miles
– Driving time: 19.2 hours
– Date founded: September 24, 2004
– 2020 visitors: 461,532 (#32 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 107,341.87 acres

Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

#18. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

– Distance: 1,060 miles
– Driving time: 18.1 hours
– Date founded: January 26, 1915
– 2020 visitors: 3,305,199 (#4 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 265,807.25 acres

Romiana Lee // Shutterstock

#19. Acadia National Park (Maine)

– Distance: 1,077 miles
– Driving time: 21.7 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2020 visitors: 2,669,034 (#8 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 49,076.63 acres

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#20. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

– Distance: 1,080 miles
– Driving time: 18.6 hours
– Date founded: May 14, 1930
– 2020 visitors: 183,835 (#45 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 46,766.45 acres

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#21. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

– Distance: 1,109 miles
– Driving time: 21.2 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 1978
– 2020 visitors: 551,303 (#28 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 70,446.89 acres

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#22. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

– Distance: 1,110 miles
– Driving time: 19.7 hours
– Date founded: October 15, 1966
– 2020 visitors: 151,256 (#49 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 86,367.10 acres

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#23. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

– Distance: 1,113 miles
– Driving time: 21.0 hours
– Date founded: June 12, 1944
– 2020 visitors: 393,907 (#37 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 801,163.21 acres

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#24. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

– Distance: 1,158 miles
– Driving time: 20.2 hours
– Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
– 2020 visitors: 415,383 (#34 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 146,344.31 acres

SL-Photography // Shutterstock

#25. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)

– Distance: 1,169 miles
– Driving time: 21.8 hours
– Date founded: October 21, 1999
– 2020 visitors: 341,620 (#39 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 30,779.83 acres

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#26. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

– Distance: 1,217 miles
– Driving time: 23.3 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1906
– 2020 visitors: 287,477 (#42 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 52,485.17 acres

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#27. Arches National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 1,269 miles
– Driving time: 22.2 hours
– Date founded: November 12, 1971
– 2020 visitors: 1,238,083 (#17 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 76,678.98 acres

Manamana // Shutterstock

#28. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 1,290 miles
– Driving time: 29.3 hours
– Date founded: September 12, 1964
– 2020 visitors: 493,914 (#30 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 337,597.83 acres

Felix Lipov // Shutterstock

#29. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

– Distance: 1,313 miles
– Driving time: 21.5 hours
– Date founded: December 9, 1962
– 2020 visitors: 384,483 (#38 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 221,390.21 acres

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#30. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 1,357 miles
– Driving time: 23.8 hours
– Date founded: December 18, 1971
– 2020 visitors: 981,038 (#20 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 241,904.50 acres

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#31. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)

– Distance: 1,360 miles
– Driving time: 25.1 hours
– Date founded: March 1, 1872
– 2020 visitors: 3,806,306 (#2 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#32. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

– Distance: 1,361 miles
– Driving time: 24.1 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1929
– 2020 visitors: 3,289,638 (#5 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 310,044.36 acres

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#33. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

– Distance: 1,408 miles
– Driving time: 24.6 hours
– Date founded: October 14, 1994
– 2020 visitors: 762,226 (#24 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 92,867.42 acres

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#34. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 1,416 miles
– Driving time: 25.9 hours
– Date founded: February 25, 1928
– 2020 visitors: 1,464,655 (#15 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 35,835.08 acres

Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock

#35. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

– Distance: 1,429 miles
– Driving time: 25.0 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2020 visitors: 2,897,098 (#6 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

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#36. Zion National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 1,466 miles
– Driving time: 26.4 hours
– Date founded: November 19, 1919
– 2020 visitors: 3,591,254 (#3 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 147,242.66 acres

Arlene Waller // Shutterstock

#37. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

– Distance: 1,522 miles
– Driving time: 26.4 hours
– Date founded: October 27, 1986
– 2020 visitors: 120,248 (#50 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 77,180.00 acres

Pung // Shutterstock

#38. Glacier National Park (Montana)

– Distance: 1,605 miles
– Date founded: May 11, 1910
– 2020 visitors: 1,698,864 (#13 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock

#39. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

– Distance: 1,673 miles
– Driving time: 28.8 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2020 visitors: 2,399,542 (#10 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 795,155.85 acres

Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock

#40. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)

– Distance: 1,684 miles
– Driving time: 29.6 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2020 visitors: 820,023 (#22 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock

#41. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

– Distance: 1,772 miles
– Driving time: 37.4 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1940
– 2020 visitors: 415,077 (#35 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 461,901.20 acres

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#42. Sequoia National Park (California)

– Distance: 1,783 miles
– Driving time: 36.2 hours
– Date founded: September 25, 1890
– 2020 visitors: 796,086 (#23 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 404,062.63 acres

Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock

#43. Yosemite National Park (California)

– Distance: 1,812 miles
– Driving time: 36.2 hours
– Date founded: October 1, 1890
– 2020 visitors: 2,268,313 (#12 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 761,747.50 acres

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#44. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)

– Distance: 1,842 miles
– Date founded: August 2, 1956
– 2020 visitors: 167,540 (#46 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,052.53 acres

Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock

#45. Channel Islands National Park (California)

– Distance: 1,863 miles
– Date founded: March 5, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 167,290 (#47 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 249,561.00 acres

Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#46. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

– Distance: 1,898 miles
– Driving time: 34.0 hours
– Date founded: August 9, 1916
– 2020 visitors: 542,274 (#29 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 106,589.02 acres

Yhelfman // Shutterstock

#47. Pinnacles National Park (California)

– Distance: 1,918 miles
– Driving time: 34.7 hours
– Date founded: January 10, 2013
– 2020 visitors: 165,740 (#48 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,685.73 acres

National Park Service/Deby Dixon // Wikimedia Commons

#48. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

– Distance: 1,920 miles
– Driving time: 37.4 hours
– Date founded: October 2, 1968
– 2020 visitors: 30,885 (#56 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 504,780.94 acres

Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

#49. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

– Distance: 1,923 miles
– Driving time: 34.7 hours
– Date founded: May 22, 1902
– 2020 visitors: 670,500 (#26 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 183,224.05 acres

Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock

#50. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

– Distance: 1,924 miles
– Driving time: 34.7 hours
– Date founded: March 2, 1899
– 2020 visitors: 1,160,754 (#18 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 236,381.64 acres

f11photo // Shutterstock

#51. Olympic National Park (Washington)

– Distance: 2,015 miles
– Driving time: 37.8 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1938
– 2020 visitors: 2,499,177 (#9 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 922,649.41 acres

Bob Pool // Shutterstock

#52. Redwood National Park (California)

– Distance: 2,024 miles
– Driving time: 38.3 hours
– Date founded: October 2, 1968
– 2020 visitors: 265,177 (#43 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 138,999.37 acres

Alan Wu // Wikimedia Commons

#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 2,692 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 5,748 (#60 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres

Sewtex // Wikimedia Commons

#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 2,894 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 16,655 (#57 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres

National Park Service, Alaska Region // Wikimedia Commons

#55. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 3,148 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 115,882 (#52 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 669,650.05 acres

Denali National Park and Preserve // Wikimedia Commons

#56. Denali National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 3,184 miles
– Date founded: February 26, 1917
– 2020 visitors: 54,850 (#53 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres

Ryjil Christianson // Wikimedia Commons

#57. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 3,276 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 4,948 (#61 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres

National Park Service, Alaska Region // Wikimedia Commons

#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 3,286 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 2,872 (#63 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres

Katmai National Park and Preserve // Wikimedia Commons

#59. Katmai National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 3,342 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 51,511 (#54 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres

LCGS Russ // Wikimedia Commons

#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 3,443 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2020 visitors: 11,185 (#58 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres

jo Crebbin // Shutterstock

#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)

– Distance: 4,278 miles
– Date founded: August 1, 1916
– 2020 visitors: 589,775 (#27 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 325,605.28 acres

MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock

#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)

– Distance: 4,282 miles
– Date founded: July 1, 1961
– 2020 visitors: 319,147 (#40 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 33,264.62 acres

Tavita Togia, National Park Service // Wikimedia Commons

#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)

– Distance: 6,498 miles
– Date founded: October 31, 1988
– 2020 visitors: 4,819 (#62 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 8,256.67 acres