Amid Government Shutdown Affecting National Parks, onX Releases First-of-its-Kind Data on State Park Recreation Opportunities

Data reveals state parks closest to popular national parks, aims to relieve pressure on federal public lands

As the federal government shutdown continues to affect staffing, resourcing, and maintenance of National Parks, onX today released a first-of-its kind analysis of recreational opportunities in state parks near popular National Parks to encourage outdoor recreationalists to consider alternative locations and help alleviate pressure on National Parks. 

“The National Park system is one of the greatest ideas this country has ever had, but recent history has shown that government shutdowns have a lasting impact on even our most treasured places,” said Becky Marcelliano, Senior Brand Manager of onX Advocacy. “Stewardship of the landscape is at the core of onX, so at a time when our National Parks are at risk, we’re encouraging folks to get outside and enjoy some incredible state parks that are being taken care of at the local level. This new data shows just how broad our state park systems are, and we hope that people will find hidden gems close to home or near the national parks they might visit otherwise.” 

This new analysis from onX looked at thousands of state parks across the country, assessing 11,208,025 acres of park land and 51,609 miles of trails. From this national analysis, onX found 134 State Parks within approximately 50 miles of the country’s most popular National Parks made up of 363,215 acres and 1,891 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. onX’s statistics on state parks in relation to the top ten most popular National Parks across the country can be found below:

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 14 State Parks Within 50 Miles
   • Total State Park Acres: 65,933
   • Total Trail Miles: 290

2. Zion National Park: 7 State Parks Within 50 Miles
   • Total State Park Acres: 17,701
   • Total Trail Miles: 124

3. Grand Canyon National Park: 5 State Parks Within 83 Miles 
   • Total State Park Acres: 6,437
   • Total Trail Miles: 58

4. Yellowstone National Park: 6 State Parks Within 51 Miles 
   • Total State Park Acres: 23,570
   • Total Trail Miles: 82

5. Rocky Mountain National Park: 9 State Parks Within 50 Miles
   • Total State Park Acres: 103,336
   • Total Trail Miles: 585

6. Yosemite National Park: 10 State Parks Within 50 Miles
   • Total State Park Acres: 83,323 
   • Total Trail Miles: 171

7. Acadia National Park: 10 State Parks Within 50 Miles
   • Total State Park Acres: 7,382 
   • Total Trail Miles: 65 

8. Olympic National Park: 57 State Parks Within 50 Miles
   • Total State Park Acres: 26,558
   • Total Trail Miles: 393

9. Grand Teton National Park: 3 State Parks Within 75 miles 
   • Total State Park Acres: 22,488 
   • Total Trail Miles: 69 

10.  Glacier National Park: 10 State Parks Within 50 Miles
    • Total State Park Acres: 6,487 
    • Total Trail Miles: 54

Additionally, onX compiled lists of the ten largest state parks by acreage and the ten state parks with the most trail mileage – listed below, but limiting inclusion to one park from each state.

LARGEST STATE PARKS BY ACREAGE 

1. Wood-Tikchik State Park, Alaska – 1,538,723 Acres
2. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California – 597,273 Acres
3. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas – 304,246 Acres
4. Baxter State Park, Maine – 233,909 Acres
5. Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida – 79,190 Acres 
6. Colorado State Forest State Park, Colorado – 71,634  Acres
7. Custer State Park, South Dakota – 70,599 Acres 
8. Allegany State Park, New York –  63,097 Acres 
9. Elephant Butte Lake State Park, New Mexico – 61,884 Acres
10. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Michigan – 60,084 Acres 

STATE PARKS WITH MOST TRAIL MILEAGE

1. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California – 854 Total Trail Miles
2. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas – 474 Total Trail Miles
3. Chugach State Park, Alaska – 459 Total Trail Miles
4. Baxter State Park, Maine – 440 Total Trail Miles
5. Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway State Rec And Conservation Area, Florida – 385 Total Trail Miles 
6. Harriman State Park, New York – 358  Total Trail Miles
7. Colorado State Forest State Park, Colorado – 310 Total Trail Miles
8. Patapsco Valley State Park, Maryland – 220 Total Trail Miles
9. Custer State Park, South Dakota – 219 Total Trail Miles
10. Palouse To Cascades State Park Trail, Washington – 207 Total Trail Miles

Additional data in the analysis includes lists of state parks within close radii of National Parks, state park water access, trail mileage breakdown by activity (biking, horseback riding, offroading), and state-by-state breakdowns of park opportunities.  Journalists interested in further exploring onX’s State Park Analysis can reach out to harry@onxmaps.com

About onX

Founded in 2009, onX is a pioneer in digital outdoor navigation, developing software that helps inform, inspire, and empower outdoor recreationists. onX Hunt, onX Offroad, onX Backcountry, and onX Fish make up the company’s suite of apps and are built by explorers for explorers. Because off-the-beaten-path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land. Since 2018, onX has worked with various partners to secure and improve public land access through direct funding and by supporting key legislation with data analysis and research. Learn more.