Steve Heap // Shutterstock
Closest national parks to Clarksville
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 Clarksville. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Clarksville, TN-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.
You may also like: Cities with the fastest growing home prices in Clarksville metro area
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#1. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 91 miles
- Driving time: 2.1 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2020 visitors: 290,392 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 54,011.91 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
#2. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 194 miles
- Driving time: 3.7 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]
- 2020 visitors: 486,021 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
Aviator31 // Wikimedia Commons
#3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 239 miles
- Driving time: 4.6 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2020 visitors: 12,095,720 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#4. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 341 miles
- Driving time: 6.5 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2020 visitors: 1,348,215 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
#5. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 343 miles
- Driving time: 6.7 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2020 visitors: 2,293,106 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
You may also like: People from these metros are finding new jobs in Clarksville
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
#6. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 372 miles
- Driving time: 7.2 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2020 visitors: 1,054,374 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Jtmartin57 // Wikimedia Commons
#7. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 436 miles
- Driving time: 8.5 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
#8. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 453 miles
- Driving time: 7.8 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2020 visitors: 2,755,628 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.88 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
#9. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 524 miles
- Driving time: 10.0 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: 789 miles
- Driving time: 14.9 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2020 visitors: 6,493 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
You may also like: Zip codes with the most expensive homes in Clarksville metro area
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#11. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 857 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2020 visitors: 263,091 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
U.S. National Park Service // Wikimedia Commons
#12. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 878 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
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
#13. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 878 miles
- Driving time: 15.8 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2020 visitors: 702,319 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
NPS // Wikimedia Commons
#14. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 882 miles
- Driving time: 14.8 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 402,770 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
#15. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 923 miles
- Driving time: 17.1 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2020 visitors: 916,932 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
You may also like: Highest paying jobs in Clarksville that require a graduate degree
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#16. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 962 miles
- Driving time: 18.2 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2020 visitors: 448,405 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
#17. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 988 miles
- Driving time: 18.4 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: 1,004 miles
- Driving time: 17.2 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2020 visitors: 3,305,199 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
#19. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,008 miles
- Driving time: 18.0 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2020 visitors: 183,835 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
#20. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,038 miles
- Driving time: 19.1 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2020 visitors: 151,256 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
You may also like: Highest-earning zip codes in Clarksville metro area
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
#21. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,041 miles
- Driving time: 20.6 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2020 visitors: 393,907 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
#22. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,078 miles
- Driving time: 20.7 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2020 visitors: 551,303 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#23. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,087 miles
- Driving time: 19.6 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
#24. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,108 miles
- Driving time: 20.9 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2020 visitors: 341,620 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
#25. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 1,147 miles
- Driving time: 22.8 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2020 visitors: 2,669,034 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres
You may also like: Metros where people in Clarksville are getting new jobs
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
#26. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,153 miles
- Driving time: 22.5 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2020 visitors: 287,477 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
#27. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,208 miles
- Driving time: 21.4 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: 1,228 miles
- Driving time: 28.5 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: 1,245 miles
- Driving time: 21.1 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2020 visitors: 384,483 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
#30. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,295 miles
- Driving time: 22.9 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2020 visitors: 981,038 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
You may also like: Cities with the most expensive homes in Clarksville metro area
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#31. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,313 miles
- Driving time: 23.2 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2020 visitors: 3,289,638 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
#32. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,314 miles
- Driving time: 24.2 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2020 visitors: 3,806,306 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
#33. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 1,338 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2020 visitors: 762,226 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
#34. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,353 miles
- Driving time: 25.0 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: 1,364 miles
- Driving time: 24.1 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2020 visitors: 2,897,098 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
You may also like: Most common jobs in Clarksville
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#36. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,403 miles
- Driving time: 25.5 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: 1,462 miles
- Driving time: 25.5 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: 1,568 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: 1,606 miles
- Driving time: 27.9 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: 1,620 miles
- Driving time: 28.3 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2020 visitors: 820,023 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres
You may also like: Most expensive homes for sale in Clarksville
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
#41. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,709 miles
- Driving time: 35.4 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2020 visitors: 415,077 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
#42. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,720 miles
- Driving time: 34.5 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: 1,750 miles
- Driving time: 35.3 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2020 visitors: 2,268,313 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
#44. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,797 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
#45. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,841 miles
- Driving time: 33.2 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2020 visitors: 542,274 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
#46. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,855 miles
- Driving time: 33.9 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2020 visitors: 165,740 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
#47. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 1,870 miles
- Driving time: 34.3 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
#48. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,879 miles
- Driving time: 33.8 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2020 visitors: 1,160,754 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
National Park Service/Deby Dixon // Wikimedia Commons
#49. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,879 miles
- Driving time: 36.5 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2020 visitors: 30,885 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
#50. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 1,881 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2020 visitors: 167,540 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
#51. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 1,969 miles
- Driving time: 37.9 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2020 visitors: 265,177 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock
#52. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 1,973 miles
- Driving time: 36.9 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2020 visitors: 2,499,177 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Alan Wu // Wikimedia Commons
#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,667 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: 2,872 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: 3,124 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: 3,166 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: 3,254 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: 3,275 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: 3,316 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: 3,432 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: 4,212 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: 4,217 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: 6,426 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2020 visitors: 4,819 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres