National Parks Near West Des Moines, Iowa

Compare the closest National Park Service sites to West Des Moines, including 47 sites within 500 straight-line miles. 5 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.
47NPS sites within 500 mi
0NPS sites within 100 mi
5Designated National Parks
113Miles to closest NPS site

Closest National Park Service Sites

Closest NPS site

Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

National Historic Trail · 113 mi straight-line

Closest designated National Park

Gateway Arch National Park

277 mi straight-line

Nearest Sites at a Glance

SiteDesignationState(s)Straight-line distance
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail National Historic Trail Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia 113 mi
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site National Historic Site Iowa 126 mi
Effigy Mounds National Monument National Monument Iowa 169 mi
Homestead National Historical Park National Historical Park Nebraska 182 mi
Harry S Truman National Historic Site National Historic Site Missouri 185 mi
New Philadelphia National Historic Site National Historic Site Illinois 196 mi
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park National Historical Park Kansas 200 mi
Missouri National Recreational River National Recreational River Nebraska, South Dakota 213 mi
Pipestone National Monument National Monument Minnesota 213 mi
Mississippi National River & Recreation Area National River & Recreation Area Minnesota 237 mi
Lincoln Home National Historic Site National Historic Site Illinois 248 mi
Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument National Monument Illinois 248 mi

Nearby Sites by Distance

0 within 50 mi 0 within 100 mi 12 within 250 mi 47 within 500 mi

Designated National Parks Near West Des Moines

looking up at the curve of the Gateway Arch against the sky

Gateway Arch National Park

Missouri

277 mi straight-line

 Michigan Lake beach with green grassy dunes in the background, under a blue sky.

Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana

345 mi straight-line

 Layered badlands formations behind fields of green grass under cloudy and billowing clouds.

Badlands National Park

South Dakota

466 mi straight-line

 Photograph of granite cliffs topped with trees alongside a blue lake.

Voyageurs National Park

Minnesota

481 mi straight-line

 A pink sky above gentle white buildings

Hot Springs National Park

Arkansas

487 mi straight-line

What Types of NPS Sites Are Nearby?

National Historic Site · 11 National Historical Park · 6 National Monument · 5 National Park · 5 National Historic Trail · 4 National Scenic Trail · 2 National Battlefield · 2 National Lakeshore · 2 National Memorial · 2 National Recreational River · 1 National River & Recreation Area · 1 National Preserve · 1

Explore Parks Near Other Cities

Urbandale, Iowa 6 mi straight-line Waukee, Iowa 6 mi straight-line Des Moines, Iowa 9 mi straight-line Johnston, Iowa 10 mi straight-line Ankeny, Iowa 15 mi straight-line Ames, Iowa 34 mi straight-line

Plan From West Des Moines

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 Iowa or browse all city starting points.

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