National Park System units within a drive of Salt Lake City
Two National Park System units sit within an estimated two hours of Salt Lake City, four between two and four hours, and 30 between four and eight. The closest is Timpanogos Cave National Monument, about 1.5 hours by road from the metro's Census centroid. Great Basin National Park is the nearest unit carrying the National Park designation within four hours. The metro is the Salt Lake City area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 1,300,762 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timpanogos Cave National Monument National Monument · UT | 1.5 h | Free | 92,031 | 0 |
| Golden Spike National Historical Park National Historical Park · UT | 1.7 h | Fee | 53,696 | 0 |
2 to 4 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Of Rocks National Reserve National Reserve · ID | 2.5 h | Free | 90,898 | 2 |
| Great Basin National Park National Park · NV | 3 h | Free | 161,210 | 7 |
| Fossil Butte National Monument National Monument · WY | 3.3 h | Free | 20,626 | 0 |
| Minidoka National Historic Site National Historic Site · ID, WA | 3.6 h | Free | 43,539 | 0 |
4 to 8 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capitol Reef National Park National Park · UT | 4.1 h | Fee | 1,388,476 | 5 |
| Craters Of The Moon National Monument & Preserve National Monument & Preserve · ID | 4.2 h | Fee | 260,418 | 1 |
| Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument National Monument · ID | 4.2 h | Free | 36,667 | 0 |
| Oregon National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · ID, KS, MO, NE, OR, WA, WY | 4.5 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Cedar Breaks National Monument National Monument · UT | 4.6 h | Fee | 718,014 | 1 |
| Bryce Canyon National Park National Park · UT | 4.8 h | Fee | 1,967,367 | 2 |
| Dinosaur National Monument National Monument · CO, UT | 4.8 h | Fee | 315,725 | 6 |
| Arches National Park National Park · UT | 5 h | Fee | 1,511,740 | 1 |
| Pony Express National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · CA, CO, KS, MO, NE, NV, UT, WY | 5.1 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Zion National Park National Park · UT | 5.1 h | Fee | 4,984,525 | 3 |
| Canyonlands National Park National Park · UT | 5.2 h | Fee | 796,057 | 3 |
| Old Spanish National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · AZ, CA, CO, NV, NM, UT | 5.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Colorado National Monument National Monument · CO | 5.7 h | Fee | 483,436 | 1 |
| Grand Teton National Park National Park · WY | 5.7 h | Fee | 3,800,648 | 8 |
| California National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · CA, CO, ID, KS, MO, NE, NV, OR, UT, WY | 5.8 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Pipe Spring National Monument National Monument · AZ | 5.8 h | Fee | 18,967 | 0 |
| Natural Bridges National Monument National Monument · UT | 5.9 h | Fee | 70,400 | 1 |
| Glen Canyon National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · AZ, UT | 6 h | Fee | 3,729,502 | 11 |
| Rainbow Bridge National Monument National Monument · UT | 6 h | Free | 11,404 | 0 |
| Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument National Monument · AZ | 6.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Navajo National Monument National Monument · AZ | 6.7 h | Free | 44,099 | 2 |
| Hovenweep National Monument National Monument · CO, UT | 6.9 h | Fee | 26,616 | 1 |
| Yellowstone National Park National Park · ID, MT, WY | 6.9 h | Fee | 4,762,988 | 12 |
| Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park National Park · CO | 7.1 h | Fee | 250,086 | 3 |
| Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument National Monument · NV | 7.2 h | Free | 51,964 | 0 |
| Grand Canyon National Park National Park · AZ | 7.3 h | Fee | 4,430,653 | 3 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · AZ, NV | 7.4 h | Fee | 6,135,586 | 16 |
| Yucca House National Monument National Monument · CO | 7.4 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Curecanti National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · CO | 7.6 h | Free | 807,117 | 10 |
| Mesa Verde National Park National Park · CO | 7.6 h | Fee | 463,130 | 1 |
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.