National Park System units within a drive of Philadelphia
Philadelphia has 23 national park sites within an estimated two hours' drive, the fourth highest count among the 50 largest metros, with another 133 between two and eight hours. The closest is Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, about 10 minutes by road from the metro's Census centroid. The metro is the Philadelphia area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 6,330,422 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 0.2 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 0.2 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Independence National Historical Park National Historical Park · PA | 0.2 h | Free | 1,926,580 | 0 |
| Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial National Memorial · PA | 0.2 h | Free | 1,664 | 0 |
| First State National Historical Park National Historical Park · DE, PA | 0.3 h | Free | 200,173 | 0 |
| Valley Forge National Historical Park National Historical Park · PA | 0.4 h | Free | 1,819,086 | 0 |
| Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 0.7 h | Free | 45,897 | 0 |
| New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve National Reserve · NJ | 0.8 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River National Wild and Scenic River · PA, NJ | 0.9 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Great Egg Harbor River Park Unit · NJ | 1.2 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic Trail · CT, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV | 1.6 h | Free | 6,215,118 | 0 |
| Hampton National Historic Site National Historic Site · MD | 1.7 h | Free | 48,158 | 0 |
| Morristown National Historical Park National Historical Park · NJ | 1.7 h | Free | 183,001 | 0 |
| Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine National Monument and Historic Shrine · MD | 1.8 h | Fee | 283,027 | 0 |
| Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · MD, VA, DC | 1.8 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Thomas Edison National Historical Park National Historical Park · NJ | 1.9 h | Fee | 22,370 | 0 |
| National Parks of New York Harbor Related Area · NY | 1.9 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · NJ, PA | 2 h | Fee | 3,986,709 | 6 |
| Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument · NJ, NY | 2 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Gateway National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · NY, NJ | 2 h | Free | 7,696,939 | 2 |
| Governors Island National Monument National Monument · NY | 2 h | Free | 52,200 | 0 |
| Statue Of Liberty National Monument National Monument · NY | 2 h | Free | 3,538,231 | 0 |
2 to 4 hours
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.