Closest national parks to Pocatello
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Closest national parks to Pocatello
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 Pocatello. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Pocatello, ID 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.
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#1. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
– Distance: 115 miles
– Driving time: 3.3 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1929
– 2024 visitors: 3,628,222 (#9 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 310,044.36 acres 
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
#2. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
– Distance: 168 miles
– Driving time: 3.9 hours
– Date founded: March 1, 1872
– 2024 visitors: 4,744,353 (#4 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres 
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
#3. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
– Distance: 271 miles
– Driving time: 7.0 hours
– Date founded: October 27, 1986
– 2024 visitors: 152,068 (#54 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 77,180.00 acres 
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
#4. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 319 miles
– Driving time: 6.7 hours
– Date founded: December 18, 1971
– 2024 visitors: 1,422,490 (#23 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 241,904.50 acres 
Manamana // Shutterstock
#5. Arches National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 319 miles
– Driving time: 6.5 hours
– Date founded: November 12, 1971
– 2024 visitors: 1,466,528 (#20 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 76,678.98 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
#6. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 340 miles
– Driving time: 11.6 hours
– Date founded: September 12, 1964
– 2024 visitors: 818,492 (#27 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 337,597.83 acres 
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
#7. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 354 miles
– Driving time: 7.4 hours
– Date founded: February 25, 1928
– 2024 visitors: 2,498,075 (#15 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 35,835.08 acres 
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#8. Zion National Park (Utah)
– Distance: 373 miles
– Driving time: 7.5 hours
– Date founded: November 19, 1919
– 2024 visitors: 4,946,592 (#2 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 147,242.66 acres 
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
#9. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 382 miles
– Driving time: 8.3 hours
– Date founded: October 21, 1999
– 2024 visitors: 335,862 (#49 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 30,779.83 acres 
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
#10. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 396 miles
– Driving time: 9.3 hours
– Date founded: January 26, 1915
– 2024 visitors: 4,154,349 (#5 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 265,847.74 acres 
Pung // Shutterstock
#11. Glacier National Park (Montana)
– Distance: 428 miles
– Date founded: May 11, 1910
– 2024 visitors: 3,208,755 (#10 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,013,126.39 acres 
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
#12. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 438 miles
– Driving time: 8.9 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1906
– 2024 visitors: 480,065 (#41 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 52,485.17 acres 
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
#13. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 458 miles
– Driving time: 11.1 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2024 visitors: 4,919,163 (#3 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#14. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
– Distance: 464 miles
– Driving time: 10.5 hours
– Date founded: January 9, 1903
– 2024 visitors: 489,399 (#40 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 33,970.84 acres 
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
#15. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
– Distance: 484 miles
– Driving time: 10.4 hours
– Date founded: May 22, 1902
– 2024 visitors: 504,942 (#39 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 183,224.05 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#16. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
– Distance: 487 miles
– Driving time: 12.2 hours
– Date founded: August 9, 1916
– 2024 visitors: 357,651 (#47 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 106,589.02 acres 
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
#17. Yosemite National Park (California)
– Distance: 496 miles
– Driving time: 15.3 hours
– Date founded: October 1, 1890
– 2024 visitors: 4,121,807 (#6 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 761,747.50 acres 
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
#18. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
– Distance: 499 miles
– Driving time: 10.5 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 1,440,484 (#21 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,408,395.63 acres 
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
#19. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
– Distance: 506 miles
– Driving time: 11.5 hours
– Date founded: September 24, 2004
– 2024 visitors: 437,661 (#44 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 107,345.73 acres 
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
#20. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
– Distance: 514 miles
– Driving time: 11.8 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 1978
– 2024 visitors: 1,094,245 (#25 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 242,755.94 acres 
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
#21. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
– Distance: 516 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 
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
#22. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 534 miles
– Driving time: 10.4 hours
– Date founded: March 2, 1899
– 2024 visitors: 1,620,006 (#19 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 236,381.64 acres 
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
#23. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
– Distance: 537 miles
– Driving time: 10.4 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 1978
– 2024 visitors: 732,951 (#31 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 70,446.89 acres 
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
#24. Sequoia National Park (California)
– Distance: 541 miles
– Driving time: 17.3 hours
– Date founded: September 25, 1890
– 2024 visitors: 1,309,573 (#24 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 404,062.63 acres 
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
#25. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 547 miles
– Driving time: 11.3 hours
– Date founded: December 9, 1962
– 2024 visitors: 559,254 (#37 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 221,390.21 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#26. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 588 miles
– Driving time: 12.9 hours
– Date founded: October 2, 1968
– 2024 visitors: 16,485 (#62 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 504,780.94 acres 
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
#27. Redwood National Park (California)
– Distance: 595 miles
– Driving time: 15.0 hours
– Date founded: October 2, 1968
– 2024 visitors: 622,883 (#35 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 138,999.37 acres 
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
#28. Pinnacles National Park (California)
– Distance: 627 miles
– Driving time: 14.6 hours
– Date founded: January 10, 2013
– 2024 visitors: 354,076 (#48 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,685.73 acres 
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
#29. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
– Distance: 640 miles
– Driving time: 13.3 hours
– Date founded: October 31, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 2,991,874 (#11 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 795,155.85 acres 
f11photo // Shutterstock
#30. Olympic National Park (Washington)
– Distance: 644 miles
– Driving time: 13.6 hours
– Date founded: June 29, 1938
– 2024 visitors: 3,717,267 (#8 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 922,649.41 acres 
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
#31. Channel Islands National Park (California)
– Distance: 704 miles
– Date founded: March 5, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 262,581 (#50 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 249,561.00 acres 
kojihirano // Shutterstock
#32. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
– Distance: 729 miles
– Driving time: 16.2 hours
– Date founded: October 14, 1994
– 2024 visitors: 946,369 (#26 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 92,876.75 acres 
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#33. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
– Distance: 768 miles
– Driving time: 15.8 hours
– Date founded: December 20, 2019
– 2024 visitors: 702,236 (#33 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 146,344.31 acres 
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
#34. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
– Distance: 851 miles
– Driving time: 17.2 hours
– Date founded: May 14, 1930
– 2024 visitors: 460,474 (#43 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 46,766.45 acres 
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
#35. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
– Distance: 855 miles
– Driving time: 18.0 hours
– Date founded: October 15, 1966
– 2024 visitors: 226,134 (#52 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 86,367.10 acres 
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#36. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
– Distance: 1,032 miles
– Driving time: 19.6 hours
– Date founded: April 8, 1975
– 2024 visitors: 199,030 (#53 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 218,222.35 acres 
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
#37. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
– Distance: 1,062 miles
– Driving time: 22.3 hours
– Date founded: June 12, 1944
– 2024 visitors: 561,458 (#36 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 801,163.21 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#38. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
– Distance: 1,194 miles
– Driving time: 22.8 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1921
– 2024 visitors: 2,461,812 (#16 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 5,554.15 acres 
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
#39. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
– Distance: 1,205 miles
– Driving time: 20.4 hours
– Date founded: February 22, 2018
– 2024 visitors: 2,563,052 (#14 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 192.83 acres 
SveKo // Shutterstock
#40. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
– Distance: 1,221 miles
– Driving time: 24.0 hours
– Date founded: April 3, 1940
– 2024 visitors: 28,806 (#58 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 571,790.30 acres 
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
#41. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
– Distance: 1,307 miles
– Driving time: 21.9 hours
– Date founded: February 15, 2019
– 2024 visitors: 2,705,209 (#13 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,349.08 acres 
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#42. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
– Distance: 1,450 miles
– Driving time: 25.4 hours
– Date founded: July 1, 1941
– 2024 visitors: 747,042 (#28 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 72,472.87 acres 
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
#43. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 1,516 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 736,282 (#30 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#44. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
– Distance: 1,592 miles
– Driving time: 26.6 hours
– Date founded: October 11, 2000
– 2024 visitors: 2,912,454 (#12 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 32,571.89 acres 
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
#45. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
– Distance: 1,623 miles
– Driving time: 28.4 hours
– Date founded: June 15, 1934
– 2024 visitors: 12,191,834 (#1 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 522,426.88 acres 
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
#46. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
– Distance: 1,682 miles
– Driving time: 29.0 hours
– Date founded: December 27, 2020
– 2024 visitors: 1,811,937 (#17 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,021 acres 
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
#47. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 1,758 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 81,670 (#56 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres 
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
#48. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
– Distance: 1,810 miles
– Driving time: 32.5 hours
– Date founded: December 26, 1935
– 2024 visitors: 1,720,211 (#18 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 200,445.92 acres 
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#49. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
– Distance: 1,823 miles
– Driving time: 32.5 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 2003
– 2024 visitors: 242,049 (#51 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,692.60 acres 
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
#50. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 1,958 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 419,468 (#46 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 669,650.05 acres 
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
#51. Denali National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,076 miles
– Date founded: February 26, 1917
– 2024 visitors: 466,227 (#42 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres 
Varina C // Shutterstock
#52. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 2,098 miles
– Driving time: 42.7 hours
– Date founded: October 26, 1992
– 2024 visitors: 84,873 (#55 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 64,701.22 acres 
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
#53. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,104 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 18,505 (#60 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres 
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
#54. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,112 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 36,230 (#57 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres 
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
#55. Everglades National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 2,156 miles
– Driving time: 39.5 hours
– Date founded: May 30, 1934
– 2024 visitors: 741,983 (#29 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres 
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
#56. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
– Distance: 2,180 miles
– Driving time: 38.5 hours
– Date founded: June 28, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 512,213 (#38 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 172,971.11 acres 
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
#57. Acadia National Park (Maine)
– Distance: 2,204 miles
– Driving time: 41.0 hours
– Date founded: February 26, 1919
– 2024 visitors: 3,961,661 (#7 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 49,071.40 acres 
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#58. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,287 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 11,907 (#63 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres 
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#59. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
– Distance: 2,424 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980
– 2024 visitors: 17,233 (#61 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres 
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
#60. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
– Distance: 2,936 miles
– Date founded: July 1, 1961
– 2024 visitors: 732,477 (#32 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 33,488.98 acres 
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
– Distance: 2,950 miles
– Date founded: August 1, 1916
– 2024 visitors: 1,433,593 (#22 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 344,812.18 acres 
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
#62. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
– Distance: 3,252 miles
– Date founded: August 2, 1956
– 2024 visitors: 423,029 (#45 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,052.33 acres 
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
– Distance: 5,374 miles
– Date founded: October 31, 1988
– 2024 visitors: 22,567 (#59 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 8,256.67 acres 
