National Park System units within a drive of Nashville
Three National Park System units sit within an estimated two hours of Nashville, 15 between two and four hours, and 42 between four and eight. The closest is Stones River National Battlefield, about 30 minutes by road from the metro's Census centroid. Mammoth Cave National Park is the nearest unit carrying the National Park designation within four hours. The metro is the Nashville area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 2,150,553 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stones River National Battlefield National Battlefield · TN | 0.5 h | Free | 454,614 | 0 |
| Fort Donelson National Battlefield National Battlefield · KY, TN | 1.6 h | Free | 151,151 | 0 |
| Mammoth Cave National Park National Park · KY | 1.9 h | Free | 660,734 | 3 |
2 to 4 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Cave National Monument National Monument · AL | 2.1 h | Free | 7,821 | 0 |
| Shiloh National Military Park National Military Park · TN, MS | 2.5 h | Free | 346,955 | 0 |
| Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park National Military Park · GA, TN | 2.6 h | Fee | 971,647 | 0 |
| Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park National Historical Park · KY | 2.7 h | Free | 212,899 | 0 |
| Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area National River & Recreation Area · KY, TN | 2.7 h | Free | 774,353 | 5 |
| Obed Wild & Scenic River Wild & Scenic River · TN | 2.7 h | Free | no count | 1 |
| Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument National Monument · KY | 2.9 h | Free | 10,527 | 0 |
| Little River Canyon National Preserve National Preserve · AL | 3 h | Fee | 781,518 | 0 |
| Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial National Memorial · IN | 3.2 h | Free | 115,517 | 0 |
| Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site National Battlefield Site · MS | 3.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · AL, AR, GA, IL, KY, MO, NC, OK, TN | 3.7 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Camp Nelson National Monument National Monument · KY | 3.8 h | Free | 20,763 | 0 |
| Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail National Scenic Trail · AL, MS, TN | 3.8 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Tupelo National Battlefield National Battlefield · MS | 3.9 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Freedom Riders National Monument National Monument · AL | 4 h | Free | no count | 0 |
4 to 8 hours
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.