Iowa · 0 national parks · 4 other NPS sites
Does Iowa have a national park?
Last verified Sources ↓
No. Iowa has no national park, but it has 4 National Park Service sites, including Effigy Mounds National Monument, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. The nearest national park to Des Moines is Gateway Arch National Park, 272 miles away as the crow flies.
At a glance
Iowa, by the numbers
| National parks | None |
|---|---|
| NPS sites | 4 see nps.gov |
| Nearest to Des Moines | Gateway Arch 272 mi straight-line, ≈ 6 h 20 min drive (est.) |
From Des Moines
The closest national parks to Iowa
Measured from Des Moines, Iowa's largest city (212,086 people, Census 2025 estimate). Straight-line miles; drive times are our rough estimate.
| Park | Straight line | Drive (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway Arch National ParkMO | 272 mi | ≈ 6 h 20 min |
| Indiana Dunes National ParkIN | 337 mi | ≈ 8 h |
| Badlands National ParkSD | 474 mi | ≈ 11 h 10 min |
| Voyageurs National ParkMN | 479 mi | ≈ 11 h 20 min |
4 NPS sites
Iowa's National Park Service sites
Monuments, historic sites, trails and more: every place the National Park Service lists for Iowa, grouped by type. Links go to nps.gov.
2 National Historic Trail · 1 National Historic Site · 1 National MonumentShow all 4Hide
National Historic Trail · 2
- Lewis & Clark National Historic TrailIA · ID · IL · IN · KS · KY · MO · MT · NE · ND · OH · OR · PA · SD · WA · WV
- Mormon Pioneer National Historic TrailIL · IA · NE · UT · WY
National Historic Site · 1
National Monument · 1
From the NPS Data API; the same list as Iowa's page on nps.gov. Trails and other multi-state sites appear under each state they cross.
FAQ
Iowa, answered
- Does Iowa have a national park?
- No. Iowa has no national park, but it has 4 National Park Service sites, including Effigy Mounds National Monument, Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. The closest national park to Des Moines is Gateway Arch National Park, about 272 miles away in a straight line.
- What is the closest national park to Des Moines?
- Gateway Arch National Park, about 272 miles from Des Moines in a straight line, roughly 6 h 20 min by road on our estimate (straight-line miles × 1.3 at 55 mph, not a route). Des Moines is Iowa's largest city.
Sources · 4
- 1.Iowa: parks and places (nps.gov) · National Park Service
- 2.NPS Data API — /parks (all park units) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
- 3.City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2025 · U.S. Census Bureau
- 4.2025 Gazetteer Files: Places · U.S. Census Bureau
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