National Park System units within a drive of Denver
Two National Park System units sit within an estimated two hours of Denver, six between two and four hours, and 38 between four and eight. The closest is Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, about 55 minutes by road from the metro's Census centroid. Rocky Mountain National Park is the nearest unit carrying the National Park designation within four hours. The metro is the Denver area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 3,052,498 people in the 2024 estimates.
Each drive time is an estimate made from the straight-line distance between the metro's Census centroid and the unit's listed coordinates, multiplied by 1.25 for roads and divided by 55 mph, so a real trip will often take longer.
Metro centroid Free to enter Charges an entrance fee
Under 2 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument National Monument · CO | 0.9 h | Fee | 63,680 | 0 |
| Rocky Mountain National Park National Park · CO | 1.7 h | Fee | 4,171,431 | 5 |
2 to 4 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve National Park & Preserve · CO | 2.7 h | Fee | 432,498 | 3 |
| Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site National Historic Site · CO | 2.8 h | Free | 7,190 | 0 |
| Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site National Historic Site · CO | 3.2 h | Free | 4,338 | 0 |
| Curecanti National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · CO | 3.3 h | Free | 807,117 | 10 |
| Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park National Park · CO | 3.7 h | Fee | 250,086 | 3 |
| Amache National Historic Site National Historic Site · CO | 3.8 h | Free | 8,113 | 0 |
4 to 8 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotts Bluff National Monument National Monument · NE | 4 h | Free | 182,392 | 0 |
| Capulin Volcano National Monument National Monument · NM | 4.3 h | Fee | 89,489 | 0 |
| Fort Laramie National Historic Site National Historic Site · WY | 4.4 h | Free | 36,998 | 0 |
| Colorado National Monument National Monument · CO | 4.6 h | Fee | 483,436 | 1 |
| Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · IL, IA, NE, UT, WY | 4.7 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Agate Fossil Beds National Monument National Monument · NE | 4.9 h | Free | 16,827 | 0 |
| Dinosaur National Monument National Monument · CO, UT | 5.1 h | Fee | 315,725 | 6 |
| Fort Union National Monument National Monument · NM | 5.5 h | Free | 7,813 | 0 |
| Aztec Ruins National Monument National Monument · NM | 5.6 h | Free | 38,636 | 0 |
| Mesa Verde National Park National Park · CO | 5.6 h | Fee | 463,130 | 1 |
| Arches National Park National Park · UT | 5.8 h | Fee | 1,511,740 | 1 |
| Manhattan Project National Historical Park National Historical Park · NM, WA, TN | 5.8 h | Free | 56,390 | 0 |
| Yucca House National Monument National Monument · CO | 5.8 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Valles Caldera National Preserve National Preserve · NM | 5.9 h | Fee | 84,952 | 0 |
| Bandelier National Monument National Monument · NM | 6 h | Fee | 247,642 | 2 |
| Hovenweep National Monument National Monument · CO, UT | 6 h | Fee | 26,616 | 1 |
| Pecos National Historical Park National Historical Park · NM | 6.2 h | Free | 37,083 | 0 |
| Canyonlands National Park National Park · UT | 6.4 h | Fee | 796,057 | 3 |
| Nicodemus National Historic Site National Historic Site · KS | 6.4 h | Free | 6,644 | 0 |
| California National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · CA, CO, ID, KS, MO, NE, NV, OR, UT, WY | 6.5 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Chaco Culture National Historical Park National Historical Park · NM | 6.5 h | Fee | 29,816 | 1 |
| Santa Fe National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · CO, KS, MO, NM, OK | 6.7 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Wind Cave National Park National Park · SD | 6.7 h | Free | 606,258 | 1 |
| Pony Express National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · CA, CO, KS, MO, NE, NV, UT, WY | 6.8 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Jewel Cave National Monument National Monument · SD | 6.9 h | Free | 110,553 | 0 |
| Natural Bridges National Monument National Monument · UT | 6.9 h | Fee | 70,400 | 1 |
| Oregon National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · ID, KS, MO, NE, OR, WA, WY | 6.9 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Petroglyph National Monument National Monument · NM | 7.1 h | Free | 310,672 | 0 |
| Fort Larned National Historic Site National Historic Site · KS | 7.2 h | Free | 20,576 | 0 |
| Lake Meredith National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · TX | 7.2 h | Free | 1,017,135 | 11 |
| Mount Rushmore National Memorial National Memorial · SD | 7.2 h | Free | 1,905,649 | 0 |
| Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument National Monument · TX | 7.3 h | Free | 8,054 | 0 |
| Badlands National Park National Park · SD | 7.3 h | Fee | 1,139,361 | 2 |
| Canyon de Chelly National Monument National Monument · AZ | 7.6 h | Free | 340,586 | 0 |
| Minuteman Missile National Historic Site National Historic Site · SD | 7.8 h | Free | 102,146 | 0 |
| Fossil Butte National Monument National Monument · WY | 7.9 h | Free | 20,626 | 0 |
| Niobrara National Scenic River National Scenic River · NE | 7.9 h | Free | 77,476 | 0 |
| Capitol Reef National Park National Park · UT | 8 h | Fee | 1,388,476 | 5 |
Metro boundaries and population from the Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; centroids from the Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer, CBSA internal points. Unit coordinates, fees, campgrounds and 2025 recreation visits from the NPS API and Visitor Use Statistics. Data refreshed October 14, 2026. Other metros.