National Park System units within a drive of Kansas City
Three National Park System units sit within an estimated two hours of Kansas City, five between two and four hours, and 21 between four and eight. The closest is Harry S Truman National Historic Site, about 5 minutes by road from the metro's Census centroid. The metro is the Kansas City area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 2,253,579 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry S Truman National Historic Site National Historic Site · MO | 0.1 h | Free | 19,296 | 0 |
| Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park National Historical Park · KS | 1.5 h | Free | 17,860 | 0 |
| Fort Scott National Historic Site National Historic Site · KS | 1.7 h | Free | 25,254 | 0 |
2 to 4 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve National Preserve · KS | 2.7 h | Free | 27,531 | 0 |
| George Washington Carver National Monument National Monument · MO | 3.1 h | Free | 31,062 | 0 |
| Wilson's Creek National Battlefield National Battlefield · MO | 3.1 h | Free | 370,558 | 0 |
| Homestead National Historical Park National Historical Park · NE | 3.6 h | Free | 43,099 | 0 |
| Pea Ridge National Military Park National Military Park · AR | 3.9 h | Free | 131,726 | 0 |
4 to 8 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, OR, PA, SD, WA, WV | 4.1 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| New Philadelphia National Historic Site National Historic Site · IL | 4.4 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Ozark National Scenic Riverways National Scenic Riverways · MO | 4.8 h | Free | 1,116,835 | 23 |
| Buffalo National River National River · AR | 4.9 h | Free | 1,393,246 | 11 |
| Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site National Historic Site · MO | 5 h | Free | 37,467 | 0 |
| Gateway Arch National Park National Park · MO | 5.2 h | Free | 2,209,028 | 0 |
| Fort Smith National Historic Site National Historic Site · AR, OK | 5.6 h | Free | 106,953 | 0 |
| Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park National Historical Park · MO | 5.6 h | Free | 16,525 | 0 |
| Herbert Hoover National Historic Site National Historic Site · IA | 5.7 h | Free | 106,672 | 0 |
| Fort Larned National Historic Site National Historic Site · KS | 6 h | Free | 20,576 | 0 |
| Lincoln Home National Historic Site National Historic Site · IL | 6 h | Free | 123,544 | 0 |
| Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument National Monument · IL | 6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Nicodemus National Historic Site National Historic Site · KS | 6.3 h | Free | 6,644 | 0 |
| Oklahoma City National Memorial National Memorial · OK | 6.7 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Santa Fe National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · CO, KS, MO, NM, OK | 7 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site National Historic Site · AR | 7.1 h | Free | 49,069 | 0 |
| Hot Springs National Park National Park · AR | 7.1 h | Free | 2,494,611 | 1 |
| Missouri National Recreational River National Recreational River · SD, NE | 7.1 h | Free | 166,390 | 3 |
| Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · AL, AR, GA, IL, KY, MO, NC, OK, TN | 7.5 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Effigy Mounds National Monument National Monument · IA | 7.6 h | Free | 56,912 | 0 |
| Chickasaw National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · OK | 7.7 h | Free | 1,877,797 | 9 |
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.