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 Pittsfield. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Pittsfield, MA 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.
Romiana Lee // Shutterstock
#1. Acadia National Park (Maine)
- Distance: 287 miles
- Driving time: 7.0 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2024 visitors: 3,961,661 (#7 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,071.40 acres
Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
#2. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
- Distance: 379 miles
- Driving time: 8.7 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
#3. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
- Distance: 437 miles
- Driving time: 8.7 hours
- Date founded: October 11, 2000
- 2024 visitors: 2,912,454 (#12 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 32,571.89 acres
Steve Heap // Shutterstock
#4. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
- Distance: 511 miles
- Driving time: 10.9 hours
- Date founded: December 27, 2020
- 2024 visitors: 1,811,937 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,021 acres
Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
#5. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
- Distance: 713 miles
- Driving time: 13.3 hours
- Date founded: February 15, 2019
- 2024 visitors: 2,705,209 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,349.08 acres
ZakZeinert // Shutterstock
#6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
- Distance: 721 miles
- Driving time: 14.0 hours
- Date founded: June 15, 1934
- 2024 visitors: 12,191,834 (#1 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 522,426.88 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#7. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
- Distance: 721 miles
- Driving time: 15.0 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 2003
- 2024 visitors: 242,049 (#51 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,692.60 acres
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#8. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
- Distance: 773 miles
- Driving time: 15.1 hours
- Date founded: July 1, 1941
- 2024 visitors: 747,042 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 72,472.87 acres
SveKo // Shutterstock
#9. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
- Distance: 844 miles
- Driving time: 20.8 hours
- Date founded: April 3, 1940
- 2024 visitors: 28,806 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 571,790.30 acres
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
#10. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
- Distance: 929 miles
- Driving time: 16.8 hours
- Date founded: February 22, 2018
- 2024 visitors: 2,563,052 (#14 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 192.83 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#11. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)
- Distance: 1,042 miles
- Driving time: 23.9 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2024 visitors: 199,030 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#12. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
- Distance: 1,201 miles
- Driving time: 22.2 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1921
- 2024 visitors: 2,461,812 (#16 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Claudia G Cooper // Shutterstock
#13. Biscayne National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,217 miles
- Driving time: 23.0 hours
- Date founded: June 28, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 512,213 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 172,971.11 acres
Simon Dannhauer // Shutterstock
#14. Everglades National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,255 miles
- Driving time: 24.0 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2024 visitors: 741,983 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres
Varina C // Shutterstock
#15. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)
- Distance: 1,342 miles
- Driving time: 25.8 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2024 visitors: 84,873 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres
Matt Ragen // Shutterstock
#16. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,478 miles
- Driving time: 26.6 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2024 visitors: 1,094,245 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres
Laurens Hoddenbagh // Shutterstock
#17. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)
- Distance: 1,513 miles
- Driving time: 28.5 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2024 visitors: 732,951 (#31 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#18. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)
- Distance: 1,528 miles
- Driving time: 28.0 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2024 visitors: 489,399 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres
Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock
#19. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,677 miles
- Driving time: 28.8 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2024 visitors: 4,154,349 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,847.74 acres
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
#20. Virgin Islands National Park (U.S. Virgin Islands)
- Distance: 1,730 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2024 visitors: 423,029 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.33 acres
Kris Wiktor // Shutterstock
#21. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,731 miles
- Driving time: 31.5 hours
- Date founded: September 24, 2004
- 2024 visitors: 437,661 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 107,345.73 acres
SL-Photography // Shutterstock
#22. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,824 miles
- Driving time: 32.7 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2024 visitors: 335,862 (#49 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres
Doug Meek // Shutterstock
#23. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,846 miles
- Driving time: 32.2 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2024 visitors: 460,474 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres
Lane V. Erickson // Shutterstock
#24. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho)
- Distance: 1,864 miles
- Driving time: 34.9 hours
- Date founded: March 1, 1872
- 2024 visitors: 4,744,353 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,219,790.71 acres
ShuPhoto // Shutterstock
#25. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,876 miles
- Driving time: 33.3 hours
- Date founded: October 15, 1966
- 2024 visitors: 226,134 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 86,367.10 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#26. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)
- Distance: 1,889 miles
- Driving time: 33.9 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2024 visitors: 3,628,222 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres
Sopotnicki // Shutterstock
#27. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)
- Distance: 1,897 miles
- Driving time: 35.0 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2024 visitors: 480,065 (#41 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres
Eric Foltz // Shutterstock
#28. Big Bend National Park (Texas)
- Distance: 1,900 miles
- Driving time: 35.5 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2024 visitors: 561,458 (#36 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#29. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)
- Distance: 1,911 miles
- Driving time: 33.0 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019
- 2024 visitors: 702,236 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres
Manamana // Shutterstock
#30. Arches National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,916 miles
- Driving time: 33.4 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
#31. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 1,946 miles
- Driving time: 40.4 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2024 visitors: 818,492 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres
Pung // Shutterstock
#32. Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Distance: 2,001 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2024 visitors: 3,208,755 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,126.39 acres
Layne V. Naylor // Shutterstock
#33. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 2,009 miles
- Driving time: 34.9 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2024 visitors: 1,422,490 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres
Felix Lipov // Shutterstock
#34. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 2,022 miles
- Driving time: 34.6 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2024 visitors: 559,254 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres
ronnybas frimages // Shutterstock
#35. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 2,076 miles
- Driving time: 36.9 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2024 visitors: 2,498,075 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres
Josemaria Toscano // Shutterstock
#36. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 2,114 miles
- Driving time: 38.2 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2024 visitors: 4,919,163 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres
Galyna Andrushko // Shutterstock
#37. Zion National Park (Utah)
- Distance: 2,127 miles
- Driving time: 37.4 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2024 visitors: 4,946,592 (#2 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres
kojihirano // Shutterstock
#38. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)
- Distance: 2,149 miles
- Driving time: 37.9 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2024 visitors: 946,369 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,876.75 acres
Arlene Waller // Shutterstock
#39. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)
- Distance: 2,150 miles
- Driving time: 37.5 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2024 visitors: 152,068 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres
Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#40. North Cascades National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,330 miles
- Driving time: 46.0 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2024 visitors: 16,485 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres
Bryan Brazil // Shutterstock
#41. Death Valley National Park (California, Nevada)
- Distance: 2,348 miles
- Driving time: 40.6 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2024 visitors: 1,440,484 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,395.63 acres
Dennis Silvas // Shutterstock
#42. Joshua Tree National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,374 miles
- Driving time: 41.9 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2024 visitors: 2,991,874 (#11 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres
Diane Fetzner // Shutterstock
#43. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,375 miles
- Driving time: 44.1 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2024 visitors: 1,620,006 (#19 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres
Patrick Poendl // Shutterstock
#44. Kings Canyon National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,421 miles
- Driving time: 48.7 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2024 visitors: 699,389 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
#45. Sequoia National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,438 miles
- Driving time: 47.5 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2024 visitors: 1,309,573 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres
Stephen Moehle // Shutterstock
#46. Yosemite National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,442 miles
- Driving time: 46.5 hours
- Date founded: October 1, 1890
- 2024 visitors: 4,121,807 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 761,747.50 acres
f11photo // Shutterstock
#47. Olympic National Park (Washington)
- Distance: 2,442 miles
- Driving time: 46.7 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2024 visitors: 3,717,267 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
#48. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)
- Distance: 2,455 miles
- Driving time: 44.8 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
#49. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,477 miles
- Driving time: 43.4 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2024 visitors: 357,651 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres
Ethan Daniels // Shutterstock
#50. Channel Islands National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,548 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 262,581 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres
Yhelfman // Shutterstock
#51. Pinnacles National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,563 miles
- Driving time: 45.8 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2024 visitors: 354,076 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
#52. Redwood National Park (California)
- Distance: 2,582 miles
- Driving time: 48.2 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2024 visitors: 622,883 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres
Laurie Gronewold // Shutterstock
#53. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 2,898 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 736,282 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres
Martin Capek // Shutterstock
#54. Wrangell–St. Elias National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,050 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 81,670 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres
Marc Cappelletti // Shutterstock
#55. Denali National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,293 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2024 visitors: 466,227 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#56. Gates of the Arctic National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,310 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 11,907 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres
Tomasz Wozniak // Shutterstock
#57. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,321 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 419,468 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres
Malachi Jacobs // Shutterstock
#58. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,425 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 18,505 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres
BlueBarronPhoto // Shutterstock
#59. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,467 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 17,233 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres
Robert Harding Video // Shutterstock
#60. Katmai National Park (Alaska)
- Distance: 3,531 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2024 visitors: 36,230 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres
MH Anderson Photography // Shutterstock
#61. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 4,923 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
#62. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)
- Distance: 4,933 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2024 visitors: 1,433,593 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 344,812.18 acres
Lloyd Wallin Photography // Shutterstock
#63. National Park of American Samoa (American Samoa)
- Distance: 7,254 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2024 visitors: 22,567 (#59 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
