By Stacker
President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 signed the act creating the National Park Service to leave natural and historic phenomena “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 Mansfield. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Mansfield, OH 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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Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#1. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)
– Distance: 61 miles
– Driving time: 1.1 hours
– Date founded: October 11, 2000
– 2020 visitors: 2,755,628 (#7 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 32,571.88 acres
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Steve Heap // Shutterstock
#2. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)
– Distance: 202 miles
– Driving time: 5.0 hours
– Date founded: December 27, 2020
– 2020 visitors: 1,054,374 (#19 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 7,021 acres
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Delmas Lehman // Shutterstock
#3. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)
– Distance: 243 miles
– Driving time: 4.5 hours
– Date founded: February 15, 2019
– 2020 visitors: 2,293,106 (#11 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 15,349.08 acres
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Jon Bilous // Shutterstock
#4. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
– Distance: 272 miles
– Driving time: 7.6 hours
– Date founded: December 26, 1935
– 2020 visitors: 1,666,265 (#14 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 199,223.77 acres
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Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#5. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)
– Distance: 313 miles
– Driving time: 5.7 hours
– Date founded: July 1, 1941
– 2020 visitors: 290,392 (#41 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 54,011.91 acres
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Aviator31 // Wikimedia Commons
#6. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)
– Distance: 355 miles
– Driving time: 7.4 hours
– Date founded: June 15, 1934
– 2020 visitors: 12,095,720 (#1 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 522,426.88 acres
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Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
#7. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)
– Distance: 433 miles
– Driving time: 7.7 hours
– Date founded: February 22, 2018[47]– 2020 visitors: 486,021 (#31 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 192.83 acres
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Jtmartin57 // Wikimedia Commons
#8. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)
– Distance: 492 miles
– Driving time: 10.0 hours
– Date founded: November 10, 2003
– 2020 visitors: 119,306 (#51 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 26,476.47 acres
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MDuchek // Wikimedia Commons
#9. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)
– Distance: 586 miles
– Driving time: 12.0 hours
– Date founded: April 3, 1940
– 2020 visitors: 6,493 (#59 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 571,790.30 acres
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Zack Frank // Shutterstock
#10. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)
– Distance: 719 miles
– Driving time: 12.8 hours
– Date founded: March 4, 1921
– 2020 visitors: 1,348,215 (#16 highest among all national parks)
– Park area: 5,554.15 acres
Reposted with permission; original post can be read here.
Photo: Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Creative Commons
