Closest national parks to Albuquerque

(STACKER) – 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 Albuquerque. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Albuquerque, NM 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. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

– Distance: 162 miles
– Driving time: 3.8 hours

#2. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

– Distance: 182 miles
– Driving time: 4.8 hours

#3. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

– Distance: 187 miles
– Driving time: 4.2 hours

#4. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

– Distance: 188 miles
– Driving time: 3.7 hours

#5. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

– Distance: 234 miles
– Driving time: 4.9 hours

#6. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

– Distance: 239 miles
– Driving time: 6.0 hours

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

– Distance: 248 miles
– Driving time: 6.5 hours

#8. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 287 miles
– Driving time: 11.4 hours

#9. Arches National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 300 miles
– Driving time: 6.7 hours

#10. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

– Distance: 306 miles
– Driving time: 7.0 hours

#11. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

– Distance: 326 miles
– Driving time: 7.1 hours

#12. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 337 miles
– Driving time: 8.8 hours

#13. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 361 miles
– Driving time: 10.6 hours

#14. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

– Distance: 367 miles
– Driving time: 8.0 hours

#15. Zion National Park (Utah)

– Distance: 398 miles
– Driving time: 10.6 hours

#16. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

– Distance: 446 miles
– Driving time: 10.0 hours

#17. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

– Distance: 508 miles
– Driving time: 11.6 hours

#18. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

– Distance: 547 miles
– Driving time: 10.8 hours

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

– Distance: 588 miles
– Driving time: 11.3 hours

#20. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

– Distance: 604 miles
– Driving time: 11.5 hours

#21. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

– Distance: 631 miles
– Driving time: 12.6 hours

#22. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

– Distance: 637 miles
– Driving time: 14.5 hours

#23. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

– Distance: 687 miles
– Driving time: 17.9 hours

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

– Distance: 688 miles
– Driving time: 15.6 hours

#25. Sequoia National Park (California)

– Distance: 692 miles
– Driving time: 16.9 hours

#26. Channel Islands National Park (California)

– Distance: 743 miles
– Date founded: March 5, 1980

#27. Yosemite National Park (California)

– Distance: 749 miles
– Driving time: 17.0 hours

#28. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

– Distance: 763 miles
– Driving time: 13.0 hours

#29. Pinnacles National Park (California)

– Distance: 830 miles
– Driving time: 15.6 hours

#30. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

– Distance: 832 miles
– Driving time: 16.2 hours

#31. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

– Distance: 901 miles
– Driving time: 18.8 hours

#32. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

– Distance: 932 miles
– Driving time: 14.8 hours

#33. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

– Distance: 997 miles
– Driving time: 21.4 hours

#34. Glacier National Park (Montana)

– Distance: 1,019 miles
– Date founded: May 11, 1910

#35. Redwood National Park (California)

– Distance: 1,043 miles
– Driving time: 24.2 hours

#36. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

– Distance: 1,134 miles
– Driving time: 21.6 hours

#37. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

– Distance: 1,142 miles
– Driving time: 20.0 hours

#38. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

– Distance: 1,145 miles
– Driving time: 19.1 hours

#39. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

– Distance: 1,155 miles
– Driving time: 22.9 hours

#40. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

– Distance: 1,202 miles
– Driving time: 24.3 hours

#41. Olympic National Park (Washington)

– Distance: 1,246 miles
– Driving time: 25.0 hours

#42. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

– Distance: 1,283 miles
– Driving time: 25.7 hours

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

– Distance: 1,292 miles
– Driving time: 21.3 hours

#44. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

– Distance: 1,414 miles
– Driving time: 23.3 hours

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

– Distance: 1,421 miles
– Driving time: 23.5 hours

#46. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

– Distance: 1,465 miles
– Driving time: 24.0 hours

#47. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

– Distance: 1,570 miles
– Driving time: 26.6 hours

#48. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

– Distance: 1,584 miles
– Driving time: 32.0 hours

#49. Everglades National Park (Florida)

– Distance: 1,663 miles
– Driving time: 30.2 hours

#50. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

– Distance: 1,698 miles
– Driving time: 29.1 hours

#51. Acadia National Park (Maine)

– Distance: 2,113 miles
– Driving time: 37.8 hours

#52. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 2,133 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980

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

– Distance: 2,374 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980

#54. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 2,573 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980

#55. Denali National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 2,693 miles
– Date founded: February 26, 1917

#56. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 2,719 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980

#57. Katmai National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 2,722 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980

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

– Distance: 2,801 miles
– Date founded: August 2, 1956

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

– Distance: 2,900 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980

#60. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)

– Distance: 3,039 miles
– Date founded: December 2, 1980

#61. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)

– Distance: 3,154 miles
– Date founded: August 1, 1916

#62. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)

– Distance: 3,163 miles
– Date founded: July 1, 1961

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

– Distance: 5,403 miles
– Date founded: October 31, 1988