A little exercise. Use driving distance or as-crow-flies distance if you prefer.
Mine use as-crow-flies distance.
National park: North Cascades NP (55 mi)
National forest: Mount Baker-Snoqualmie NF (16 mi)
State park: Mount Pilchuck (15 mi)
County park: Wenburg (5 mi)
Because Jacksonville is consolidated with Duval County, city and county parks have been the same unit since 1968.
National park: SWEEET CAROLINEEE DUN DUN DUNN (actually, just known as Fort Caroline) (13.6 mi) (on the bluff of the St Johns) (they built different roads to the fort, one is Fort Caroline Road, the other is St Johns Bluff Road, which was connected with the Beltway once) (Monument Road does not refer to the fort nor its location, but to the Ribault monument near the fort)
National forest: Osceola (62.1 mi) (I-10 was built west from here to there)
State park: Yellow Bluff (15.6 mi) (on the north bank of the St. Johns River)
County park: Fort Family (0.7 mi) (literally across the street from where I live)
National Park: Kings Canyon 50 miles.
National Forest: Sequoia 35 miles.
State Patk: Allensworth State Historic Park 75 miles.
County: Laton-Kingston Park 22 miles.
Looks like people are already using different definitions of "national park." There are national parks that are designated by Congress and then you have all the sites managed by the National Park Service.
National Park: Acadia National Park, 608km by road
National Forest: Green Mountain National Forest, VT, 135km by road
State Park: Rainbow Fishway, 300 meters
County Park: unknown (no county governments in CT)
Local Park: Northwest Park, about 600 meters as the crow flies, across the Rainbow Reservoir. About 8km by road, however.
If you expand "National Park" to include other places on the NPS list, the New England National Scenic Trail is 5km away, and the Coltsville National Historic Park (not yet formally open) is 24km away.
Car park: 25 feet, mostly vertical (I live in an apartment complex now)
Side note: Giving two locations and distances narrows down your own location to exactly two spots. Three pinpoints it (subject to rounding).
National Park - Indiana Dunes NP - 19 miles
National Forest - Hoosier NF - 234 miles
State Park - Indiana Dunes SP - 29 miles
State Nature Preserve - Hoosier Prairie SNP - 7 miles
County Park/Forest Preserve - Lansing Woods 3 miles
Quote from: Rothman on September 15, 2021, 06:55:31 AM
Looks like people are already using different definitions of "national park." There are national parks that are designated by Congress and then you have all the sites managed by the National Park Service.
I tend to categorize them by designation given things like National Monuments aren't always under the management of the National Park Service. Example; a good chunk of National Monuments in Arizona are managed the Bureau of Land Management. In my observation a lot brand recognition and funding tends to go hand in hand with the Congressionally designated "National Park" status compared to other NPS units.
Driving distances:
Quote from: 1 on September 15, 2021, 07:19:47 AM
Car park: 25 feet, mostly vertical (I live in an apartment complex now)
Side note: Giving two locations and distances narrows down your own location to exactly two spots. Three pinpoints it (subject to rounding).
And to think that we used to have this thing called a phone book, which had all our phone numbers and addresses in it and was distributed freely to your doorstep...
National park: Would Indiana Dunes count? Looks like it does based on Google Maps search: 40 miles
National forest: Shawnee National Forest (Southern IL): 326 miles
State park: Starved Rock State Park: 85 miles
County park: Cook County Forest Preserves in Palos: 8 miles
Quote from: ET21 on September 15, 2021, 09:34:41 AM
National park: Would Indiana Dunes count? Looks like it does based on Google Maps search: 40 miles
National forest: Shawnee National Forest (Southern IL): 326 miles
State park: Starved Rock State Park: 85 miles
County park: Cook County Forest Preserves in Palos: 8 miles
Yes, Indiana Dunes is now a National Park.
I think this is pretty exhaustive. As the crow flies:
City Park: Meadowood (CO) - 785 feet
State Park: Cherry Creek (CO) - 2 miles
County Park: Cherry Creek Valley Ecological Park - 5 miles
National Forest: Pike (CO) - 21 miles
National Park: Rocky Mountain (CO) - 57 miles
National Monument: Florissant Fossil Beds (CO) - 58 miles
National Grassland: Pawnee (CO) - 76 miles
National Preserve: Great Sand Dunes (CO) - 128 Miles
National Historic Site: Bent's Old Fort (CO) - 133 miles
National Historic Trail: Santa Fe (CO) - 133 miles
National Recreation Area: Curecanti (CO) - 143 miles
National Historical Park: Manhattan Project (NM) - 274 miles
National Memorial: Mount Rushmore (SD) - 300 miles
National Scenic River: Niobrara (NE) - 314 miles
National Parkway: John D. Rockefeller (WY) - 412 miles
National Cemetery: Custer (MT) - 430 miles
National Reserve: City of Rocks (ID) - 492 Miles
National Battlefield: Big Hole (MT) - 611 miles
National Military Park: Pea Ridge (AR) - 626 miles
National Lakeshore: Apostle Islands (WI) - 853 miles
National Seashore: Padre Island (TX) - 941 miles
National Battlefield Park: River Raisin (MI) - 1,128 miles
Chris
about 20 miles from rocky mtn natl park, as the crow flies.
about 300 feet from the edge of roosevelt natl forest (or, as it is now, mountains of burned trees...)
National park: Richmond National Battlefield Park (Tredegar Iron Works) - 8 miles
National forest: George Washington & Jefferson National Forest - the nearest forest office is 108 miles away
State park: Pocahontas State Park, 15 miles
County park: Huguenot Park, about 0.5 mile
National Park: Cuyahoga Valley NP
National Forest: Pretty much a tie between Manistee and Huron (they're managed as a single unit anyway)
State Park: Belle Isle
State Forest: Au Sable
Metropark: Stony Creek
County Park: Red Oaks
City Park: Lockman
Nearest NPS-managed site: Harriet Tubman NHP
Nearest National Park: Cuyahoga Valley NP (Shenandoah NP a close second...Cuyahoga Valley really shouldn't have been designated a NP)
Nearest National Forest: Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forest
Nearest State Park: State Park at the Fair :D
Quote from: Rothman on September 15, 2021, 12:09:38 PM
Nearest NPS-managed site: Harriet Tubman NHP
Nearest National Park: Cuyahoga Valley NP (Shenandoah NP a close second...Cuyahoga Valley really shouldn't have been designated a NP)
Nearest National Forest: Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forest
Nearest State Park: State Park at the Fair :D
Out of curiosity why not Cuyahoga Valley? I've actually found it have way more actual trails and interesting sites than the majority of east coast National Parks. I kind of find Congaree and Biscayne questionable beyond something like a National Monument of National Seashore.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on September 15, 2021, 12:14:16 PM
Quote from: Rothman on September 15, 2021, 12:09:38 PM
Nearest NPS-managed site: Harriet Tubman NHP
Nearest National Park: Cuyahoga Valley NP (Shenandoah NP a close second...Cuyahoga Valley really shouldn't have been designated a NP)
Nearest National Forest: Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forest
Nearest State Park: State Park at the Fair :D
Out of curiosity why not Cuyahoga Valley? I've actually found it have way more actual trails and interesting sites than the majority of east coast National Parks. I kind of find Congaree and Biscayne questionable beyond something like a National Monument of National Seashore.
Compare Cuyahoga Valley with the likes of Acadia, Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains. Cuyahoga Valley isn't in that league at all. Its urban setting and the fact that humans have trampled all over it and built all sorts of stuff in it means that the national recreation area was good enough and appropriate given others (Lake Mead or Chickasaw).
I was actually pleasantly surprised by Congaree on my visit (even just walking along the boardwalk through the swamp out to the lake and seeing the changes in the ecosystem as you go), but generally agree with you regarding its National Park designation. It gets pretty fluffy when you get into the other designations (i.e., national monuments are generally decreed through the Antiquities Act by the President rather than through an Act of Congress), so I tend to think of them as "National Park," "National Monument" and "Not National Park."
Biscayne is a different animal, simply because it's trying to preserve the bay, rather than land features. It's not really there for the seashore, but the water and even underwater features. If you're not out on a boat or scuba diving, you're not really experiencing what the national park is intended to protect. I've only been to the mainland-side VC, myself.
I have a city park 320 feet from my front door. County parks aren't really a thing here. Lake Thunderbird State Park is 9.3 miles away. I have no idea where the closest National Park is; there aren't any in Oklahoma (Platt National Park got downgraded to a National Recreation Area a long time ago).
Quote from: Scott5114 on September 15, 2021, 02:09:32 PM
I have a city park 320 feet from my front door. County parks aren't really a thing here. Lake Thunderbird State Park is 9.3 miles away. I have no idea where the closest National Park is; there aren't any in Oklahoma (Platt National Park got downgraded to a National Recreation Area a long time ago).
Depending on where you live in Norman, looks like the closest is Hot Springs National Park about 250 miles away as the crow flies.
Chris
National Park: Voyageurs, 250 miles
State park: Fort Snelling, 10 miles
City park: Bredesen, a few blocks
Quote from: 1 on September 15, 2021, 07:19:47 AM
Car park: 25 feet, mostly vertical (I live in an apartment complex now)
Side note: Giving two locations and distances narrows down your own location to exactly two spots. Three pinpoints it (subject to rounding).
Sure, but if you know my name (which I don't protect because my employment field doesn't really allow for it) you can probably find all of that on Google anyway. You can't protect other people, just your own information.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 15, 2021, 03:00:28 PM
Quote from: 1 on September 15, 2021, 07:19:47 AM
Car park: 25 feet, mostly vertical (I live in an apartment complex now)
Side note: Giving two locations and distances narrows down your own location to exactly two spots. Three pinpoints it (subject to rounding).
Sure, but if you know my name (which I don't protect because my employment field doesn't really allow for it) you can probably find all of that on Google anyway. You can't protect other people, just your own information.
Hell, you can do that with county assessor records if someone owns their own home.
National Park: Acadia, 400 mi
National Forest: Finger Lakes, 200 mi
National Park: Cumberland Gap, I presume, is the closest to me. If not, then either Mammoth Cave or New River Gorge (as the crow flies; it's closer to drive to Mammoth Cave than NRG).
State Park: Natural Bridge State Resort Park. There used to be a sign indicating it was 15 miles away almost directly across from my place. It's been removed/stolen and not replaced, but two vacant poles are still up.
National Forest: Daniel Boone National Forest. I live within the forest boundary as shown on the map, although obviously not on federal property.
County park: Bear Track Park, approximately one mile away.
Straight-line distances via Google Earth:
- National Park: Thousand Islands National Park, Canada (https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/on/1000/visit/cartes-maps):sombrero: (Cedar Island unit, 128 miles)
- NPS Unit: Women's Rights National Historical Park (M'Clintock House unit in Waterloo, 43 miles)
- National Forest: Finger Lakes National Forest (38 miles)
- State Park: Stony Brook State Park (6 miles)
- County Park (any): Grimes Glen Park, Naples, Ontario Co. (9 miles)
- County Park (Steuben): Kanakadea Park (16 miles)
Huh. Wonder how many Stony Brooks there are in NY.
Quote from: Rothman on September 16, 2021, 06:39:16 AM
Huh. Wonder how many Stony Brooks there are in NY.
Many stony brooks, but only one Stony Brook (at least in terms of State Parks, although there is a hamlet/CDP of Stony Brook on Long Island).
My home in Needham:
National Park: Acadia, a little under 300 miles away
NPS unit: Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, 7 miles away
National Forest: White Mountains, about 130 miles away
State Park: Cutler Park, less than a mile away
No county parks in MA
City Park - the park adjoins the property of the building I live in. There are walking trails connecting our "nature area" to the park.
Others - all distances as the crow flies.
County Park - 4.3 mi.
State Park - 22.9 miles (in another state) - closest in my state is 23.2 miles
National Park - True National Park - 155 miles. Closest National Park Service entity (National Historic Site) - 4.8 miles
Now that Indiana Dunes is a NP, that's closer than the previous title holder of closest National Park to me.
Closest National Forest is still the one I grew up right near: Chequamegon-Nicolet
State Park: Lake Mendota SP is closer as the crow flies, but it might actually be faster to get to Lake Kegonsa SP from my place.
As for city parks; this is Madison. If you're not within 3 blocks of a city park or some kind of open space, where the hell are you? :-D
National Park: Petersburg National Battlefield, a few miles as the crow flies. Despite this, given the park's place in national history, I never visited it until approximately 2019.
National forest: George Washington
State park: Pocahontas State Park, about 10 miles away.
Municipal park: why not ask for my SSN while you're at it?
National Park: Hot Springs (184 miles, with the Gateway Arch being a close second at 196 miles).
National Forest: Mark Twain (21 miles). Nearest NF Wilderness area is Hercules Glades Wilderness at roughly 40 miles).
NPS unit: Wilson's Creek National Battlefield (8 miles).
State Park: Roaring River (50 miles)
Conservation Area: Bois D'Arc (15 miles).
Greene County and Springfield share a park system.
Using driving distances unless otherwise indicated:
City park - Westminster Hills Dog Park - about a 1/2 mile
Regional park - Standley Lake Regional Park - about 1.2 miles
County park - in my county (Jefferson County), White Ranch Open Space - around 13 miles
County park - in adjacent Boulder County, Coalton Trailhead - about 5 miles
State park - El Dorado Canyon State Park - about 13 miles
National Wildlife Refuge -Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge - 2.1 miles (straight line distance)
National Forest - Arapaho National Forest - about 20 miles
National Park - Rocky Mountain National Park - about 53 miles to the Beaver Meadows (US 36) entrance
Parks, distances as the crow flies, driving distances may be much farther:
city park: half a block
state park: St. Edward State Park 4 1/2 miles
national park, urban: Klondike National Historical Park in Pioneer Square area of Seattle: 5 1/4 miles
national park, with lots of wilderness: Olympic National Park: 55 miles
Quote from: hbelkins on September 15, 2021, 09:26:14 PM
If not, then either Mammoth Cave or New River Gorge (as the crow flies; it's closer to drive to Mammoth Cave than NRG).
I'm in a similar situation in that Hot Springs is closer to me as the crow flies, but Gateway Arch National Park is much easier and quicker to drive to. The Gateway Arch is a straight shot on I-44, while the route to Hot Springs involves crooked two lane roads through the Boston and Ouachita Mountains.
Distances by car.
City Park: (250 m)
Provincial Park: Forks of the Credit (65 km)
National Urban Park: Rouge (122 km)
National Park: Georgian Bay Islands (234 km). Close second is Bruce Peninsula (238 km)
Distances as the crow flies...
National Park: Cuyahoga Valley (OH), 114 miles
National Forest: Monongahela (WV), 59 miles
State Park: Point, 23 miles
County Park: Cedar Creek, 5 miles
Distance (as the crow flies):
National Park: Rocky Mountain - 39.60 miles
National Forest: Arapahoe-Roosevelt - 18.21 miles
National Grassland: Pawnee - 12.72 miles
State Park: Boyd Lake - 11.85 miles
Natural Area: Arapahoe Bend - 7.50 miles
City Park: Lakeview Park - 1.89 miles