National Park System units within a drive of San Jose
Nine National Park System units sit within an estimated two hours of San Jose, six between two and four hours, and 13 between four and eight. The closest is Pinnacles National Park, about 40 minutes by road from the metro's Census centroid. Pinnacles National Park is the nearest unit carrying the National Park designation within four hours. The metro is the San Jose area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 1,995,484 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinnacles National Park National Park · CA | 0.7 h | Fee | 343,208 | 1 |
| Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site National Historic Site · CA | 1.7 h | Free | 14,881 | 0 |
| Alcatraz Island Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area · CA | 1.9 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| John Muir National Historic Site National Historic Site · CA | 1.9 h | Free | 38,384 | 0 |
| San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park National Historical Park · CA | 1.9 h | Free | 2,944,483 | 0 |
| Fort Point National Historic Site National Historic Site · CA | 2 h | Free | 1,010,870 | 0 |
| Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial National Memorial · CA | 2 h | Free | 782 | 0 |
| Presidio of San Francisco Part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area · CA | 2 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park National Historical Park · CA | 2 h | Free | 33,689 | 0 |
2 to 4 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · CA | 2.1 h | Free | 15,748,676 | 5 |
| Muir Woods National Monument National Monument · CA | 2.2 h | Fee | 756,573 | 0 |
| Point Reyes National Seashore National Seashore · CA | 2.6 h | Free | 2,429,601 | 5 |
| Yosemite National Park National Park · CA | 2.7 h | Fee | 4,278,413 | 16 |
| Devils Postpile National Monument National Monument · CA | 3.1 h | Free | 99,652 | 0 |
| Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks National Parks · CA | 3.5 h | Fee | no count | 15 |
4 to 8 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manzanar National Historic Site National Historic Site · CA | 4.1 h | Free | 95,764 | 0 |
| César E. Chávez National Monument National Monument · CA | 4.4 h | Free | 31,497 | 0 |
| Channel Islands National Park National Park · CA | 5 h | Free | 227,186 | 7 |
| Death Valley National Park National Park · CA, NV | 5.4 h | Fee | 1,320,134 | 12 |
| Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · CA | 5.5 h | Free | 722,626 | 1 |
| Lassen Volcanic National Park National Park · CA | 5.6 h | Fee | 504,777 | 10 |
| Whiskeytown National Recreation Area National Recreation Area · CA | 6 h | Fee | 763,798 | 7 |
| Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · AZ, CA | 7.1 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Lava Beds National Monument National Monument · CA | 7.6 h | Fee | 143,659 | 2 |
| Redwood National and State Parks National and State Parks · CA | 7.7 h | Free | 1,202,480 | 4 |
| Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument National Monument · NV | 7.7 h | Free | 51,964 | 0 |
| Tule Lake National Monument National Monument · CA | 7.8 h | Free | 4,868 | 0 |
| Mojave National Preserve National Preserve · CA | 7.9 h | Free | 569,844 | 3 |
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.