Is Cheyenne Wyoming close to Yellowstone National Park?

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 Cheyenne. National parks are ranked by closest straight line distance, measured from representative points in Cheyenne, WY 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.

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Anna Krivitskaya // Shutterstock

#1. Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 78 miles
- Driving time: 2.1 hours
- Date founded: January 26, 1915
- 2020 visitors: 3,305,199 (#4 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 265,807.25 acres

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Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#2. Wind Cave National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 168 miles
- Driving time: 3.7 hours
- Date founded: January 9, 1903
- 2020 visitors: 448,405 (#33 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,970.84 acres

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#3. Badlands National Park (South Dakota)

- Distance: 202 miles
- Driving time: 5.0 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2020 visitors: 916,932 (#21 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 242,755.94 acres

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

- Distance: 248 miles
- Driving time: 6.7 hours
- Date founded: October 21, 1999
- 2020 visitors: 341,620 (#39 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 30,779.83 acres

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#5. Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)

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#6. Arches National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 317 miles
- Driving time: 7.3 hours
- Date founded: November 12, 1971
- 2020 visitors: 1,238,083 (#17 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 76,678.98 acres

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#7. Mesa Verde National Park (Colorado)

- Distance: 350 miles
- Driving time: 8.9 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1906
- 2020 visitors: 287,477 (#42 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 52,485.17 acres

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#8. Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 352 miles
- Driving time: 13.0 hours
- Date founded: September 12, 1964
- 2020 visitors: 493,914 (#30 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 337,597.83 acres

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#9. Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

- Distance: 356 miles
- Driving time: 7.1 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1929
- 2020 visitors: 3,289,638 (#5 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 310,044.36 acres

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

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#11. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

- Distance: 397 miles
- Driving time: 8.3 hours
- Date founded: November 10, 1978
- 2020 visitors: 551,303 (#28 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 70,446.89 acres

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#12. Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 407 miles
- Driving time: 8.8 hours
- Date founded: December 18, 1971
- 2020 visitors: 981,038 (#20 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 241,904.50 acres

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#13. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 477 miles
- Driving time: 10.8 hours
- Date founded: February 25, 1928
- 2020 visitors: 1,464,655 (#15 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 35,835.08 acres

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#14. Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 512 miles
- Driving time: 10.9 hours
- Date founded: December 9, 1962
- 2020 visitors: 384,483 (#38 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 221,390.21 acres

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#15. Zion National Park (Utah)

- Distance: 527 miles
- Driving time: 11.3 hours
- Date founded: November 19, 1919
- 2020 visitors: 3,591,254 (#3 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 147,242.66 acres

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#16. Great Basin National Park (Nevada)

- Distance: 534 miles
- Driving time: 10.6 hours
- Date founded: October 27, 1986
- 2020 visitors: 120,248 (#50 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 77,180.00 acres

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#17. Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 542 miles
- Driving time: 12.7 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2020 visitors: 2,897,098 (#6 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,201,647.03 acres

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#18. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 593 miles
- Driving time: 10.7 hours
- Date founded: December 20, 2019[111]
- 2020 visitors: 415,383 (#34 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 146,344.31 acres

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#19. Carlsbad Caverns National Park (New Mexico)

- Distance: 629 miles
- Driving time: 11.4 hours
- Date founded: May 14, 1930
- 2020 visitors: 183,835 (#45 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 46,766.45 acres

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#20. Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Texas)

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#21. Glacier National Park (Montana)

- Distance: 690 miles
- Date founded: May 11, 1910
- 2020 visitors: 1,698,864 (#13 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,013,125.99 acres

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#22. Saguaro National Park (Arizona)

- Distance: 702 miles
- Driving time: 14.7 hours
- Date founded: October 14, 1994
- 2020 visitors: 762,226 (#24 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 92,867.42 acres

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

- Distance: 742 miles
- Driving time: 14.6 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2020 visitors: 820,023 (#22 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,408,406.73 acres

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#24. Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

- Distance: 761 miles
- Driving time: 17.0 hours
- Date founded: April 8, 1975
- 2020 visitors: 263,091 (#44 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 218,222.35 acres

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#25. Hot Springs National Park (Arkansas)

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#26. Gateway Arch National Park (Missouri)

- Distance: 789 miles
- Driving time: 13.1 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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#27. Joshua Tree National Park (California)

- Distance: 804 miles
- Driving time: 16.9 hours
- Date founded: October 31, 1994
- 2020 visitors: 2,399,542 (#10 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 795,155.85 acres

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#28. Kings Canyon National Park (California)

- Distance: 808 miles
- Driving time: 22.5 hours
- Date founded: March 4, 1940
- 2020 visitors: 415,077 (#35 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 461,901.20 acres

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#29. Sequoia National Park (California)

- Distance: 826 miles
- Driving time: 21.2 hours
- Date founded: September 25, 1890
- 2020 visitors: 796,086 (#23 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 404,062.63 acres

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#30. Yosemite National Park (California)

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#31. Big Bend National Park (Texas)

- Distance: 834 miles
- Driving time: 16.7 hours
- Date founded: June 12, 1944
- 2020 visitors: 393,907 (#37 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 801,163.21 acres

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Zack Frank // Shutterstock

#32. Lassen Volcanic National Park (California)

- Distance: 883 miles
- Driving time: 16.6 hours
- Date founded: August 9, 1916
- 2020 visitors: 542,274 (#29 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 106,589.02 acres

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#33. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

- Distance: 902 miles
- Driving time: 18.0 hours
- Date founded: May 22, 1902
- 2020 visitors: 670,500 (#26 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 183,224.05 acres

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#34. Indiana Dunes National Park (Indiana)

- Distance: 913 miles
- Driving time: 14.9 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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MDuchek // Wikimedia Commons

#35. Isle Royale National Park (Michigan)

- Distance: 920 miles
- Driving time: 19.9 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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#36. Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 931 miles
- Driving time: 18.2 hours
- Date founded: March 2, 1899
- 2020 visitors: 1,160,754 (#18 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 236,381.64 acres

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#37. Pinnacles National Park (California)

- Distance: 948 miles
- Driving time: 18.9 hours
- Date founded: January 10, 2013
- 2020 visitors: 165,740 (#48 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 26,685.73 acres

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#38. Channel Islands National Park (California)

- Distance: 951 miles
- Date founded: March 5, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 167,290 (#47 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 249,561.00 acres

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#39. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 955 miles
- Driving time: 20.5 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2020 visitors: 30,885 (#56 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 504,780.94 acres

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#40. Redwood National Park (California)

- Distance: 1,004 miles
- Driving time: 21.6 hours
- Date founded: October 2, 1968
- 2020 visitors: 265,177 (#43 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 138,999.37 acres

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#41. Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky)

- Distance: 1,033 miles
- Driving time: 18.1 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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#42. Olympic National Park (Washington)

- Distance: 1,033 miles
- Driving time: 21.2 hours
- Date founded: June 29, 1938
- 2020 visitors: 2,499,177 (#9 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 922,649.41 acres

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#43. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

- Distance: 1,200 miles
- Driving time: 19.7 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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#44. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina, Tennessee)

- Distance: 1,206 miles
- Driving time: 21.5 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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#45. New River Gorge National Park (West Virginia)

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#46. Congaree National Park (South Carolina)

- Distance: 1,404 miles
- Driving time: 25.8 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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#47. Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)

- Distance: 1,405 miles
- Driving time: 25.4 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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U.S. National Park Service // Wikimedia Commons

#48. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,700 miles
- Driving time: 34.7 hours
- Date founded: October 26, 1992
- 2020 visitors: 48,543 (#55 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 64,701.22 acres

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#49. Everglades National Park (Florida)

- Distance: 1,750 miles
- Driving time: 32.8 hours
- Date founded: May 30, 1934
- 2020 visitors: 702,319 (#25 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,508,938.57 acres

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#50. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

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#51. Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 1,840 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 5,748 (#60 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,223,383.43 acres

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#52. Acadia National Park (Maine)

- Distance: 1,849 miles
- Driving time: 34.0 hours
- Date founded: February 26, 1919
- 2020 visitors: 2,669,034 (#8 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 49,076.63 acres

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Sewtex // Wikimedia Commons

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

- Distance: 2,071 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 16,655 (#57 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,323,146.48 acres

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National Park Service, Alaska Region // Wikimedia Commons

#54. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,295 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 115,882 (#52 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 669,650.05 acres

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Denali National Park and Preserve // Wikimedia Commons

#55. Denali National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,385 miles
- Date founded: February 26, 1917
- 2020 visitors: 54,850 (#53 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 4,740,911.16 acres

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Ryjil Christianson // Wikimedia Commons

#56. Lake Clark National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,436 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 4,948 (#61 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 2,619,816.49 acres

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Katmai National Park and Preserve // Wikimedia Commons

#57. Katmai National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,465 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 51,511 (#54 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 3,674,529.33 acres

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National Park Service, Alaska Region // Wikimedia Commons

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

- Distance: 2,562 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 2,872 (#63 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 7,523,897.45 acres

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#59. Kobuk Valley National Park (Alaska)

- Distance: 2,708 miles
- Date founded: December 2, 1980
- 2020 visitors: 11,185 (#58 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 1,750,716.16 acres

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

- Distance: 2,835 miles
- Date founded: August 2, 1956
- 2020 visitors: 167,540 (#46 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 15,052.53 acres

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#61. Haleakalā National Park (Hawaii)

- Distance: 3,311 miles
- Date founded: July 1, 1961
- 2020 visitors: 319,147 (#40 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 33,264.62 acres

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#62. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park (Hawaii)

- Distance: 3,318 miles
- Date founded: August 1, 1916
- 2020 visitors: 589,775 (#27 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 325,605.28 acres

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Tavita Togia, National Park Service // Wikimedia Commons

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

- Distance: 5,681 miles
- Date founded: October 31, 1988
- 2020 visitors: 4,819 (#62 highest among all national parks)
- Park area: 8,256.67 acres