National Parks Near San Diego, California

Compare the closest National Park Service sites to San Diego, including 54 sites within 500 straight-line miles. 12 of these are designated National Parks.

How distance is measured: Distances below are straight-line estimates from the city coordinates to NPS site coordinates. They are not road mileage or drive times. For trails, parkways, rivers, and other corridor units, the NPS reference coordinate may not represent the nearest visitor access point. Use each park's official directions and current alerts before planning a trip.

54NPS sites within 500 mi

2NPS sites within 100 mi

12Designated National Parks

13Miles to closest NPS site

Closest National Park Service Sites

Closest NPS site

Cabrillo National Monument

National Monument · 13 mi straight-line

Closest designated National Park

Joshua Tree National Park

105 mi straight-line

Nearest Sites at a Glance

Site	Designation	State(s)	Straight-line distance
Cabrillo National Monument	National Monument	California	13 mi
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail	National Historic Trail	Arizona, California	72 mi
Joshua Tree National Park	National Park	California	105 mi
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area	National Recreation Area	California	129 mi
Channel Islands National Park	National Park	California	180 mi
Mojave National Preserve	National Preserve	California	183 mi
César E. Chávez National Monument	National Monument	California	185 mi
Castle Mountains National Monument	National Monument	California	206 mi
Death Valley National Park	National Park	California, Nevada	253 mi
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument	National Monument	Arizona	255 mi
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument	National Monument	Nevada	266 mi
Lake Mead National Recreation Area	National Recreation Area	Arizona, Nevada	268 mi

Nearby Sites by Distance

1 within 50 mi 2 within 100 mi 8 within 250 mi 54 within 500 mi

Designated National Parks Near San Diego

The sky turns hues of pink and purple over a field of Joshua trees.

Joshua Tree National Park

California

105 mi straight-line

Steep, rugged ocean cliffs extending in an island chain.

Channel Islands National Park

California

180 mi straight-line

badlands bathed in pale pink and orange light from the setting sun

Death Valley National Park

California, Nevada

253 mi straight-line

A deep canyon with a forested floor and steep granite cliffs

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

California

281 mi straight-line

Pinnacles National Park

California

342 mi straight-line

At Sunset, swirling rain clouds above a vast canyon filled with colorful peaks and cliff walls.

Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona

359 mi straight-line

Saguaro National Park

Arizona

373 mi straight-line

Granite dome with trace amounts of snow.

Yosemite National Park

California

373 mi straight-line

A triangular sandstone mountain overlooks green and yellow foliage. A cloudy blue sky is overhead.

Zion National Park

Utah

386 mi straight-line

What Types of NPS Sites Are Nearby?

National Monument · 21 National Park · 12 National Historic Site · 6 National Recreation Area · 4 National Historical Park · 3 National Historic Trail · 2 National Memorial · 2 Other NPS Site · 2 National Preserve · 1 National Seashore · 1

Explore Parks Near Other Cities

La Mesa, California 7 mi straight-line Santee, California 8 mi straight-line Lemon Grove, California 8 mi straight-line El Cajon, California 10 mi straight-line La Presa, California 11 mi straight-line Spring Valley, California 11 mi straight-line

Plan From San Diego

Use these distances to compare options, then open the individual park pages for current alerts, visitor centers, campgrounds, things to do, and official directions. For road mileage, seasonal access, reservations, and closures, verify the latest information with the National Park Service before traveling.

You can also browse NPS sites associated with California or browse all city starting points.