There is a reason visitors flock to America’s National Parks every year. Unprecedented beauty, untrammeled wilderness and an experience of a lifetime are all reasons that most major National Parks float to the top of every persons bucket list. But in order to experience the majesty of these parks, you first have to get there. The following is a guide to the five biggest International airports nearest to some of America’s most popular National Parks.
Denver International Airport
Denver currently has non-stop service to 205 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is the fourth airport in the United States to reach the 200 marker. It also has the largest domestic network of any airport in the country with flights to around 185 U.S. destinations. As of 2017, DIA was the 20th busiest airport in the world and the fifth busiest in the United States by passenger traffic handling 61,379,396 passengers.
Yellowstone National Park
500 miles/8 hours drive
Rocky Mountain National Park
78 miles/1.5 hours drive
Mesa Verde National Park
361 miles/6 hours 38 minute drive
Grand Teton National Park
518 miles/8.5 hours drive
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
287 miles/5 hours 22 minutes drive
Salt Lake City Airport
In 2017, 24,198,697 passengers flew through Salt Lake City. It is the 25th busiest in North America and 85th worldwide with regards to passenger numbers. There were 327,292 aircraft operations (takeoffs and landings) in 2017, about 900 per day. On an average day at SLC, there are over 343 scheduled nonstop airline departures per day to 93 cities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Salt Lake City International Airport continues to rank high for on-time departures/arrivals and fewest flight cancellations among major US airports. The airport ranked first for on time departures and arrivals.
Yellowstone National Park
468 miles/7 hours 45 minute drive
Canyonlands National Park
243 miles/4 hours drive
Capital Reef National Park
223 miles/3 hours 40 minute drive
Grand Teton National Park
300 miles/5 hours drive
Arches National Park
236 miles/4 hours drive
Bryce Canyon NATIONAL PARK
275 MILES/4 HOURS 15 minute DRIVE
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
In 2017, PHX served 43,921,670 passengers, making it the forty-first busiest airport in the world. It handles nearly 1,200 aircraft operations a day and 120,000 passengers. The airport serves as the sixth-largest hub for American Airlines with over 300 daily departures to 95 destinations in 4 countries. American carries nearly 46% of all PHX passengers as of December 2017. The airport also serves as one of the largest operating bases for Southwest Airlines with 188 daily departures to 53 cities across the United States.
Grand Canyon National Park
234 miles/ 3 hours 40 minute drive
Petrified National Park
206 miles/3.5 hours drive
Saguro National Park
130 miles/2 hours drive
Joshua Tree National Park
280 miles/4.5 hours drive
San Francisco International Airport
SFO is the largest airport in Northern California and the second-busiest in California and on the Western Coast of North America, after Los Angeles International Airport. In 2017, it was the seventh-busiest airport in the United States and the 24th-busiest in the world by passenger count. It is the fifth-largest hub for United Airlines and functions as United’s primary transpacific gateway. It also serves as a secondary hub for Alaska Airlines. It is a major maintenance hub for United Airlines, and houses the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum and Library. It has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe and Asia.
Yosemite National Park
187 miles/ 4 hour drive
Kings Canyon National Park
265 miles/4.5 hours drive
Sequoia National Park
268 miles/5 hours drive
Lassen Volcanic National Park
247 miles/4.5 hour drive
Redwood National Park
324 miles/6 hour drive
Pinnacles National Park
115 miles/2 hour drive
Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport is within Portland’s city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah County, 12 miles by highway northeast of downtown Portland. Portland International Airport is often referred to by its IATA airport code, PDX. The airport covers 3,000 acres of land. Portland International Airport has direct flights and connections to most major airports throughout the United States, and non-stop international flights to Canada, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In 2013, a Travel + Leisure magazine readers’ poll named PDX as the best US airport, based on its on-time record, dining, shopping, and mass transportation into the main parts of the city
Crater Lake National Park
263 miles/ 5 hour drive
Mount Rainier National Park
155 miles/3 hours drive
Olympic National Park
230 miles/4 hours drive
North Cascades National Park
319 miles/5 hour 40 minute drive
Glacier National Park
667 miles/12 hour drive
Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport
With nearly 900 daily flights, American Airlines at DFW is the second largest airline hub in the world and the United States, behind Delta’s Atlanta hub. At 17,207 acres, DFW is larger than the island of Manhattan, and is the second largest airport by land area in the United States, after Denver International Airport. It has its own post office and United States Postal Service city designation (“DFW Airport, TX”), as well as its own police, fire protection and emergency medical services. As of December 2018, DFW Airport has service to 244 destinations, including 62 international and 182 domestic destinations within the U.S. In surpassing 200 destinations, DFW joined a small group of airports worldwide with that distinction.
Big Bend National Park
495 miles/ 7.5 hour drive
Guadalupe Mountain National Park
155 miles/3 hours drive
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
493 miles/7.5 hour drive
Hot Springs National Park
308 miles/5 hour drive
Charlotte Douglass International Airport
The airport gained its current name in 1982 and, as of September 2017, it is the second largest hub for American Airlines after Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with service to 161 domestic and international destinations. As of 2016 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United States, ranked by passenger traffic and 6th by aircraft movements. It was also the 7th busiest airport in the world ranked by aircraft movements.
This is a great guide! It’s easy to forget how close some of our parks are to major U.S. cities.