Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · 147 units within 8 hours
National Park System units within a drive of Washington
Washington has 64 national park sites within an estimated two hours' drive, the second highest count among the 50 largest metros, with another 83 between two and eight hours. The closest is Manassas National Battlefield Park, about 5 minutes by road from the metro's Census centroid. Shenandoah National Park is the nearest unit carrying the National Park designation within four hours. The metro is the Washington area as the Census Bureau defines it, home to 6,436,489 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manassas National Battlefield Park National Battlefield Park · VA | 0.1 h | Free | 473,482 | 0 |
| Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts Park Unit · VA | 0.3 h | Free | 437,413 | 0 |
| Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park National Historical Park · DC, MD, WV | 0.4 h | Fee | 4,579,704 | 37 |
| Great Falls Park Park · VA | 0.4 h | Fee | no count | 0 |
| Prince William Forest Park Park · VA | 0.4 h | Fee | 339,015 | 10 |
| Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Park Unit · VA | 0.5 h | Free | 363,284 | 0 |
| Clara Barton National Historic Site National Historic Site · MD | 0.5 h | Free | 11,309 | 0 |
| Glen Echo Park Park · MD | 0.5 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| George Washington Memorial Parkway Memorial Parkway · DC, MD, VA | 0.5 h | Free | 6,732,932 | 0 |
| LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac Park Unit · DC | 0.5 h | Free | 236,042 | 0 |
| Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail National Scenic Trail · DC, MD, PA, VA | 0.5 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Theodore Roosevelt Island Park Unit · DC | 0.5 h | Free | 159,828 | 0 |
| African American Civil War Memorial Part of National Mall and Memorial Parks · DC | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Anacostia Park Park · DC | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument National Monument · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 6,514 | 0 |
| Capitol Hill Parks Part of National Capital Parks-East · DC | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site National Historic Site · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 20 | 0 |
| Constitution Gardens Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Civil War Defenses of Washington Related Area · DC, MD, VA | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Memorial · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 676,062 | 0 |
| Fort Foote Park Park · MD | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Ford's Theatre National Historic Site National Historic Site · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 393,662 | 0 |
| Fort Washington Park Park · MD | 0.6 h | Free | 502,171 | 0 |
| Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 2,832,124 | 0 |
| Frederick Douglass National Historic Site National Historic Site · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 29,378 | 0 |
| Harmony Hall Part of National Capital Parks-East · MD | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Korean War Veterans Memorial Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 3,975,010 | 0 |
| Lincoln Memorial Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 7,743,295 | 0 |
| Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site National Historic Site · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 3,123 | 0 |
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 2,843,263 | 0 |
| National Capital Parks-East Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| National Mall and Memorial Parks Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm Part of National Capital Parks-East · MD | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Pennsylvania Avenue Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 115,618 | 0 |
| Piscataway Park Park · MD | 0.6 h | Free | 275,070 | 0 |
| Rock Creek Park Park · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 1,865,048 | 0 |
| Thomas Jefferson Memorial Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 4,848,112 | 0 |
| Washington Monument Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 204,489 | 0 |
| The White House and President's Park Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 311,213 | 0 |
| World War II Memorial Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 3,993,717 | 0 |
| World War I Memorial Park Unit · DC | 0.6 h | Free | 838,999 | 0 |
| Fort Dupont Park Part of National Capital Parks-East · DC | 0.7 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens Part of National Capital Parks-East · DC | 0.7 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Thomas Stone National Historic Site National Historic Site · MD | 0.7 h | Free | 4,910 | 0 |
| Baltimore-Washington Parkway Parkway · MD | 0.8 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park National Military Park · VA | 0.8 h | Free | 765,991 | 0 |
| Greenbelt Park Park · MD | 0.8 h | Free | 130,314 | 1 |
| Harpers Ferry National Historical Park National Historical Park · WV, VA, MD | 0.8 h | Fee | 537,876 | 0 |
| Monocacy National Battlefield National Battlefield · MD | 0.8 h | Free | 116,902 | 0 |
| Antietam National Battlefield National Battlefield · MD | 1 h | Fee | 161,006 | 0 |
| Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historical Park National Historical Park · VA | 1 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| George Washington Birthplace National Monument National Monument · VA | 1.2 h | Free | 72,072 | 0 |
| Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · VA, MD, DE, DC, PA, NY | 1.3 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Catoctin Mountain Park Park · MD | 1.3 h | Free | 460,857 | 6 |
| Chesapeake Bay Related Area · DC, DE, MD, NY, PA, VA, WV | 1.3 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine National Monument and Historic Shrine · MD | 1.3 h | Fee | 283,027 | 0 |
| Shenandoah National Park National Park · VA | 1.3 h | Fee | 1,682,152 | 4 |
| Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · MD, VA, DC | 1.3 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Hampton National Historic Site National Historic Site · MD | 1.4 h | Free | 48,158 | 0 |
| Eisenhower National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 1.5 h | Free | 75,328 | 0 |
| Green Springs Affiliated Area · VA | 1.5 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Gettysburg National Military Park National Military Park · PA | 1.6 h | Free | 730,398 | 0 |
| Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park National Historical Park · MD | 1.8 h | Free | 15,348 | 0 |
2 to 4 hours
| Unit | Est. drive | Entry | 2025 visits | Campgrounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maggie L Walker National Historic Site National Historic Site · VA | 2 h | Free | 4,657 | 0 |
| Richmond National Battlefield Park National Battlefield Park · VA | 2.1 h | Free | 149,545 | 0 |
| Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School National Monument National Monument · PA | 2.2 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Flight 93 National Memorial National Memorial · PA | 2.6 h | Free | 286,079 | 0 |
| Petersburg National Battlefield National Battlefield · VA | 2.6 h | Free | 494,358 | 0 |
| Colonial National Historical Park National Historical Park · VA | 2.7 h | Fee | 1,582,994 | 0 |
| Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park Part of Colonial National Historical Park · VA | 2.7 h | Fee | no count | 0 |
| Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 2.8 h | Free | 162,905 | 0 |
| Appomattox Court House National Historical Park National Historical Park · VA | 2.8 h | Free | 77,496 | 0 |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic Trail · CT, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV | 2.8 h | Free | 6,215,118 | 0 |
| First State National Historical Park National Historical Park · DE, PA | 2.8 h | Free | 200,173 | 0 |
| Johnstown Flood National Memorial National Memorial · PA | 2.8 h | Free | 74,977 | 0 |
| Yorktown Battlefield Part of Colonial National Historical Park Part of Colonial National Historical Park · VA | 2.8 h | Fee | no count | 0 |
| Assateague Island National Seashore National Seashore · MD, VA | 3 h | Fee | 2,325,195 | 11 |
| Fort Necessity National Battlefield National Battlefield · PA | 3 h | Free | 225,783 | 0 |
| Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 3 h | Free | 45,897 | 0 |
| Fort Monroe National Monument National Monument · VA | 3.2 h | Free | no count | 1 |
| Valley Forge National Historical Park National Historical Park · PA | 3.2 h | Free | 1,819,086 | 0 |
| Friendship Hill National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 3.3 h | Free | 18,080 | 0 |
| Gloria Dei Church National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 3.3 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Independence National Historical Park National Historical Park · PA | 3.3 h | Free | 1,926,580 | 0 |
| Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial National Memorial · PA | 3.3 h | Free | 1,664 | 0 |
| Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site National Historic Site · PA | 3.4 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Cape Henry Memorial Part of Colonial National Historical Park Part of Colonial National Historical Park · VA | 3.5 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Great Egg Harbor River Park Unit · NJ | 3.5 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail National Historic Trail · MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, DC | 3.8 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| Booker T. Washington National Monument National Monument · VA | 3.9 h | Free | 21,698 | 0 |
| Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River National Wild and Scenic River · PA, NJ | 3.9 h | Free | no count | 0 |
| New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve National Reserve · NJ | 3.9 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.