Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA · 36 units within 8 hours

National Park System units within a drive of Riverside

Four National Park System units sit within an estimated two hours of Riverside, six between two and four hours, and 26 between four and eight. The closest is Joshua Tree National Park, about 1.1 hours by road from the metro's Census centroid. Joshua Tree National Park is the nearest unit carrying the National Park designation within four hours. The metro is the Riverside area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 4,744,214 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
Joshua Tree National Park National Park · CA	1.1 h	Fee	2,932,644	9
Mojave National Preserve National Preserve · CA	1.2 h	Free	569,844	3
Castle Mountains National Monument National Monument · CA	1.8 h	Free	no count	0
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · AZ, CA	1.8 h	Free	no count	0

2 to 4 hours

Unit	Est. drive	Entry	2025 visits	Campgrounds
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument National Monument · NV	3.1 h	Free	51,964	0
Lake Mead National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · AZ, NV	3.2 h	Fee	6,135,586	16
Cabrillo National Monument National Monument · CA	3.3 h	Fee	769,336	0
César E. Chávez National Monument National Monument · CA	3.3 h	Free	31,497	0
Death Valley National Park National Park · CA, NV	3.3 h	Fee	1,320,134	12
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · CA	3.5 h	Free	722,626	1

4 to 8 hours

Unit	Est. drive	Entry	2025 visits	Campgrounds
Manzanar National Historic Site National Historic Site · CA	4.3 h	Free	95,764	0
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument National Monument · AZ	4.3 h	Free	no count	0
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks National Parks · CA	4.6 h	Fee	no count	15
Channel Islands National Park National Park · CA	5 h	Free	227,186	7
Tuzigoot National Monument National Monument · AZ	5.3 h	Fee	86,473	0
Grand Canyon National Park National Park · AZ	5.6 h	Fee	4,430,653	3
Montezuma Castle National Monument National Monument · AZ	5.6 h	Fee	320,013	0
Pipe Spring National Monument National Monument · AZ	5.7 h	Fee	18,967	0
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument National Monument · AZ	5.8 h	Fee	174,623	2
Zion National Park National Park · UT	5.9 h	Fee	4,984,525	3
Devils Postpile National Monument National Monument · CA	6.1 h	Free	99,652	0
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument National Monument · AZ	6.1 h	Fee	108,348	0
Walnut Canyon National Monument National Monument · AZ	6.1 h	Fee	153,317	0
Wupatki National Monument National Monument · AZ	6.3 h	Fee	129,864	0
Cedar Breaks National Monument National Monument · UT	6.4 h	Fee	718,014	1
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument National Monument · AZ	6.5 h	Free	87,748	0
Old Spanish National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · AZ, CA, CO, NV, NM, UT	6.5 h	Free	no count	0
Tonto National Monument National Monument · AZ	6.7 h	Fee	26,160	0
Yosemite National Park National Park · CA	6.8 h	Fee	4,278,413	16
Bryce Canyon National Park National Park · UT	6.9 h	Fee	1,967,367	2
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · AZ, UT	7 h	Fee	3,729,502	11
Pinnacles National Park National Park · CA	7.1 h	Fee	343,208	1
Great Basin National Park National Park · NV	7.3 h	Free	161,210	7
Rainbow Bridge National Monument National Monument · UT	7.7 h	Free	11,404	0
Navajo National Monument National Monument · AZ	7.9 h	Free	44,099	2
Saguaro National Park National Park · AZ	7.9 h	Fee	847,749	6

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.