Photo: NPS Photo / Neal Lewis
Virginia
Shenandoah National Park
- Straight line
- 115 mi
- Drive (est.)
- ≈ 2 h 40 min
- Quiet month
- November
- Entrance
- $30 / vehicle
Baltimore · Maryland
National parks near Baltimore
Last verified Straight-line miles · drive times estimated
The closest national park to Baltimore is Shenandoah National Park, about 115 miles away as the crow flies, or roughly 2 h 40 min by road on our estimate. 3 national parks are within 300 miles. Here are the nearest 8, a few road trips, and the Park Service sites even closer to home.
At a glance
Baltimore to the parks
| Closest national park | Shenandoah National Park 115 mi straight-line |
|---|---|
| Within 150 / 300 / 500 miles | 1 / 3 / 5 national parks |
| Day trip (≤ 3 h, est.) | Shenandoah |
| Closest NPS site of any kind | Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, 3 mi |
| Metro population | 2,857,781 (Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro, Census 2025 est.) |
The closest three
Nearest to Baltimore
Photo: NPS photo/Louise McLaughlin
West Virginia
New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
- Straight line
- 257 mi
- Drive (est.)
- ≈ 6 h 10 min
- Quiet month
- September
- Entrance
- Free entry
Photo: NPS Photo / D.J. Reiser
Ohio
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
- Straight line
- 294 mi
- Drive (est.)
- ≈ 7 h
- Quiet month
- November
- Entrance
- Free entry
The nearest 8
National parks by distance from Baltimore
Straight-line miles from the city to each park's NPS reference point (often its center, not an entrance). Drive times are a rough estimate: miles × 1.3 at 55 mph, not a route.
| # | Park | Straight line | Drive (est.) | 2025 visits | Quiet month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenandoah National ParkVA | 115 mi | ≈ 2 h 40 min | 1,682,152 | November |
| 2 | New River Gorge National Park & PreserveWV | 257 mi | ≈ 6 h 10 min | 1,958,440 | September |
| 3 | Cuyahoga Valley National ParkOH | 294 mi | ≈ 7 h | 3,025,325 | November |
| 4 | Congaree National ParkSC | 444 mi | ≈ 10 h 30 min | 287,833 | February |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National ParkNC · TN | 456 mi | ≈ 10 h 50 min | 11,527,939 | November |
| 6 | Mammoth Cave National ParkKY | 536 mi | ≈ 12 h 40 min | 660,734 | May |
| 7 | Acadia National ParkME | 556 mi | ≈ 13 h 10 min | 4,079,318 | October |
| 8 | Indiana Dunes National ParkIN | 574 mi | ≈ 13 h 40 min | 2,629,497 | September |
Make it a road trip
Park pairs within reach of Baltimore
Groups of parks where every pair is within about six hours of each other by our drive estimate.
3 parks · OH · VA · WV
Cuyahoga Valley, New River Gorge & Shenandoah
- Cuyahoga Valley
- New River Gorge+ ≈ 5 h 40 min
- Shenandoah+ ≈ 3 h 20 min
≈ 9 h of driving between parks · the nearest is 114 mi from Baltimore
See the route →
Closer to home
National Park Service sites within 100 miles
Not national parks, but run by the same Park Service: monuments, historic sites, seashores and recreation areas. Links go to nps.gov.
- Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine3 mi · MD
- Hampton National Historic Site8 mi · MD
- Baltimore-Washington Parkway23 mi · MD
- Chesapeake Bay24 mi · DC · DE · MD · NY · PA · VA · WV
- Greenbelt Park27 mi · MD
- Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens32 mi · DC
- Civil War Defenses of Washington32 mi · DC · MD · VA
- Rock Creek Park34 mi · DC
- Fort Dupont Park34 mi · DC
- African American Civil War Memorial35 mi · DC
Straight-line miles to each site’s NPS reference point. Long-distance trails are left out.
FAQ
National parks near Baltimore, answered
- What is the closest national park to Baltimore?
- Shenandoah National Park, about 115 miles from Baltimore in a straight line. By road, figure roughly 2 h 40 min on our estimate (straight-line miles × 1.3 at 55 mph, not a route). Next closest: New River Gorge (257 mi) and Cuyahoga Valley (294 mi).
- Can you visit a national park on a day trip from Baltimore?
- Yes: Shenandoah is within about 3 hours by our estimate. Check the park's nps.gov page for entrances and current road conditions.
- How many national parks are within a day's drive of Baltimore?
- 3 by our rough estimate (up to 8 hours of driving): Shenandoah, New River Gorge and Cuyahoga Valley. 3 national parks are within 300 straight-line miles.
- Are there National Park Service sites closer to Baltimore?
- Yes. Within 100 miles there are at least 10 other NPS sites, the nearest being Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine (3 mi), Hampton National Historic Site (8 mi) and Baltimore-Washington Parkway (23 mi).
Sources · 5
- 1.Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Population Totals: 2020-2025 · U.S. Census Bureau
- 2.City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2025 · U.S. Census Bureau
- 3.2025 Gazetteer Files: Places · U.S. Census Bureau
- 4.NPS Data API — /parks (all park units) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- 5.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (IRMA stats REST service) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) — Visitor Use Statistics Program
City location: the U.S. Census Bureau’s internal point for Baltimore city, Maryland. Metro: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD (2025 estimate).
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