National Park Day Trips: Drive Times, Routes, and Tips From Your City

These are National Park day trips you can do from a nearby city: leave in the morning, see the park, and sleep in your own bed that night. Each post covers the drive itself (the route, the miles, how long it really takes, where to stop for gas and food), parking and transit, entry rules, and what changes by season. Where the round trip leaves too little time in the park, I say so and suggest where to stay over instead.

I plan each one inside the same window: leave no earlier than 4:00 a.m. and get home by 11:30 p.m. What to do once you're inside the park is what my National Park guides are for, and if you only have a few hours on the ground, Just an Afternoon is my free four-hour plan for every park.

I'm adding a new day trip every day, so check back if your city isn't listed yet.

Day trips by National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park: from Cleveland

Everglades National Park: from Miami

Gateway Arch National Park: from St. Louis

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: from Atlanta · from Charlotte · from Knoxville

Indiana Dunes National Park: from Chicago

Joshua Tree National Park: from Los Angeles

Rocky Mountain National Park: from Denver

Shenandoah National Park: from Washington, DC

Yosemite National Park: from San Francisco

Day trips by starting city

More ways to plan a park trip

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Driving times are estimates; check each park's current alerts before you go.