National Park System units within a drive of Minneapolis
Two National Park System units sit within an estimated two hours of Minneapolis, three between two and four hours, and ten between four and eight. The closest is Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, about 20 minutes by road from the metro's Census centroid. The metro is the Minneapolis area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 3,757,952 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi National River & Recreation Area National River & Recreation Area · MN | 0.3 h | Free | 224,722 | 0 |
| Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway National Scenic Riverway · WI, MN | 1.4 h | Free | 852,296 | 3 |
2 to 4 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Country National Scenic Trail National Scenic Trail · MI, MN, ND, NY, OH, PA, VT, WI | 3.3 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Pipestone National Monument National Monument · MN | 3.8 h | Free | 77,436 | 0 |
| Effigy Mounds National Monument National Monument · IA | 3.9 h | Free | 56,912 | 0 |
4 to 8 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apostle Islands National Lakeshore National Lakeshore · WI | 4.1 h | Free | 261,009 | 0 |
| Ice Age National Scenic Trail National Scenic Trail · WI | 4.5 h | Free | 29,125 | 0 |
| Voyageurs National Park National Park · MN | 5.3 h | Free | 206,326 | 0 |
| Herbert Hoover National Historic Site National Historic Site · IA | 5.8 h | Free | 106,672 | 0 |
| Grand Portage National Monument National Monument · MN | 5.9 h | Free | 85,734 | 1 |
| Keweenaw National Historical Park National Historical Park · MI | 6.1 h | Free | 35,489 | 0 |
| Missouri National Recreational River National Recreational River · SD, NE | 6.1 h | Free | 166,390 | 3 |
| Isle Royale National Park National Park · MI | 6.6 h | Fee | 29,091 | 36 |
| Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, OR, PA, SD, WA, WV | 6.7 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore National Lakeshore · MI | 8 h | Fee | 933,966 | 25 |
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.