National parks by region
The 7 pages here group national parks by region, so you can see which parks sit close enough to combine before you commit to dates.
Each page gives the drive estimates between the parks, the ones no road reaches, and what Recreation.gov makes you book before you arrive.
Regions
- Southeast national parks
Biscayne and Everglades are the one short hop.
- Midwest national parks
Badlands and Wind Cave are the one short hop.
- Southwest national parks
7 of them chain together, each within 4 hours of the next.
- Mountain West national parks
3 of them chain together, each within 4 hours of the next.
- Pacific Northwest national parks
3 of them chain together, each within 4 hours of the next.
- California national parks
5 of them chain together, each within 4 hours of the next.
- Alaska national parks
No two are within a 4-hour drive of each other.
Parks with no region page
5 parks sit outside these regions, either because the region holds too few parks to compare or because no road connects them to each other. Each one has its own guide.
Prefer to go state by state?
State pages list the parks in one state plus the towns closest to them, which is the better route when you already know where you are starting from.
Common questions
How many national parks are in the United States?
The United States has 63 national parks. 7 regions hold enough of them, close enough together, to plan as a single trip.
Which U.S. region has the most national parks?
The Southwest has the most, with 13 national parks.