Closest national parks to Washington, D.C.
Approximately 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 contain at least 247 species of , more than 75,000 archaeological sites, and 18,000 miles of trails.
compiled a list of the closest national parks to Washington, D.C.. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area and each national park. Estimated driving times are from 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鈥攆or some places within the metro area, the actual distance may be slightly shorter or longer to reach the closest entryway to a park.
