3 National Parks (Not Acadia) Are Only a Day’s Drive From New England

When people think of National Parks near New England, only one comes to mind - Acadia National Park in Maine.

Technically this IS the only National Park in New England; however, there are 3 other National Parks that are within a day's drive.

I know this because I have been to two of them.

Park #1: Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

From Manchester, NH to Shenandoah NP is about 9 hours. Disclaimer, all three of these parks are FULL DAY drives. You likely cannot drive, do the park, and drive home - but you certainly can get there in one day.

Shenandoah is beautiful. There are tons of smaller hikes, great views, and greenery all around. Shenandoah can be "completed" in 2-3 days. You can certainly do this park in 1-2 days, or 5-7...but 2-3 days is likely plenty if you want to take your time, see a waterfall, complete a hike, etc.

The highlights in this park are the scenic skyline drive, that runs the length of the park, rafting in the Shenandoah River, and summiting Hawksbill and Old Rag mountains.

This pic is from the Skyline Drive and the summit of Hawksbill:

Park #2: New River Gorge in West Virginia.

New River Gorge National Park is about 11 and a half hours from Manchester, NH. Again, a full day of driving - but reachable within one day.

New River Gorge is small. Tiny. There is not too much to do; however, if your goal is to see all of the National Parks, you have to check this one off your list.

The whole park can be "completed" in about a day. The highlight of this park is the New River Gorge Bridge, along with the New River below.

Besides a few small hikes, the top two features to do in this park are either walking the bridge, or white water rafting the waters below.

We did the bridge walk - it was nearly 900 feet above the ground - and it was nerve-racking (even if we were harnessed in).

Park #3: Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

Ohio seems far, but this NP is only 10 hours from Manchester, NH.

Although I have not visited this park, it seems gorgeous, and worth the full day in the car.

From what I have read, you can spend about 2 days at this park exploring trails and waterfalls.

If you like waterfalls, this NP is for you.

When people think of National Parks, they often think of parks out west...and the one and only Acadia NP in Maine.

For us New Englanders, there ARE National Parks within a day's drive.

Check out my highlights from my two-week, three National Park road trip with my pals HERE.