323 million people visited a National Park Service property in 2025. That’s with a 43-day government shutdown where most parks had zero staff.
Let that number sit for a second.
The Smokies alone drew 11.5 million folks. That’s more than the populations of New York City and Los Angeles combined. Here’s the full breakdown of the most visited national parks, updated with the latest NPS data and based on our own experience visiting dozens of them over the past decade.
Note: I’ve included a complete table of the full stats at the bottom in case you want to check on your favorite national park.
Top 5 Most Popular US National Parks
1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Location: Tennessee & North Carolina
2025 Visitation: 11,527,939
2026 Visitation: 13,297,647 (#1)
2020 Numbers: 14,161,548 (#1)
Visitors Per Square Mile: 16,283 visitors per square mile
Average Length of Visit: 7 Hours 22 Minutes
Our Favorite Resources: Map / Guidebook / Guide / Things to Do / Hikes / Where to Stay / Video / Facts
Great Smoky Mountains remains the most visited National Park in America based on the most recent NPS data (2025), though visitation dipped 13% from 2026’s 13.3 million. The 43-day government shutdown played a role, but even at 11.5 million, the Smokies still draw more than double the next park on the list.
Park Description
Related: National Parks Educational Resources
One of the best national parks in America is also the most popular, receiving more visits annually than any other national park. In fact, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also the most visited national park in the world. Considered the crown jewel of the eastern U.S. parks by many, Great Smoky Mountains National Park protects a vast swath of the immense beauty of the Appalachian Mountains.
These old mountains and forests and streams have a character about them that tends to invite one to slow down and imagine a world where this was what much of the eastern United States looked like. Herds of elk freely roam the park, and bears, otters, deer, foxes, and woodpeckers are commonly sighted.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is in the fall when the brilliant foliage is on full display. The month of October is the best time to see peak fall colors. October also brings the biggest crowds of the year, bringing 13% of the total crowd.
Best Things to Do
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a mecca for outdoor lovers. Along with its abundant wildflowers and wildlife, a few of our favorite things to see and do include:
- Visiting the stunning waterfalls along wooded trails, including Grotto Falls
- Climbing Clingmans Dome or Chimney Tops
- Take a scenic drive along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
- We also recommend visiting the educational exhibits, including historic structures from early settlers like those at Cades Cove.
2. Zion National Park
Location: Utah
2025 Visitation: 4,984,525
2026 Visitation: 4,623,238 (#3)
2021 Visitation: 5,039,835 (#2)
Visitors Per Square Mile: 19,929 visitors per square mile
Average Length of Visit: 6 Hours 22 Minutes (And HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS TRAFFIC? We’ll never know!)
My Favorite Resources: Guide | Things to Do | Hikes | Map | Guidebook | Where to Stay | Road Trip
Visitation Summary
Zion National Park leapt back to the #2 spot in 2025, surpassing both Grand Canyon and Yellowstone with nearly 5 million visitors. That’s an 8% jump from 2026 and puts Zion within striking distance of its all-time high. Given its relative size, this sort of visitation is extremely difficult to manage. We highly encourage folks to visit Zion in the shoulder seasons (spring & fall) and visit nearby equally spectacular National Forests.
Description
Listen, folks, we love Zion, but the truth is this park is an absolute mess right now, with crowds regularly over-running the place. We hear a lot today about our national parks being “loved to death,” and no park epitomizes this problem more than Zion. Zion is the most crowded national park for its size.
While the park is jaw-droppingly beautiful and home to world-class recreational opportunities, it’s also completely choked with tourists on every trail and crowding every vista. Buses, lottery systems, permits, closures, and still, the crowds swarm like moths to a flame. What’s that old proverb? If you love it, let it go.
Best Time to Visit
If you are looking to avoid the crowds then the best time to visit Zion National Park is during the fall to see the spectacular foliage on full display and a tiny fraction of the summer crowds. June, July, May and October are the busiest months, bringing between 504,584 and 564,036 people.
April can lead to the closure of The Narrows, which has happened seven out of the past 10 years due to snow runoff flooding the Virgin River.
3. Yellowstone National Park
Location: Wyoming, Montana & Idaho
2025 Visitation: 4,762,988
2026 Visitation: 4,501,382 (#4)
2021 Visitation: 4,860,242 (#3)
Visitors Per Square Mile: Approximately 1,298 visitors per square mile
Average Length of Visit: 18 Hours 15 Minutes
Our Favorite Resources: Map / Guidebook / Things to Do / Facts / Airports / Where to Stay
Visitation Summary
Yellowstone climbed to #3 in 2025 with 4.76 million visitors, a 6% increase from 2026 and nearly back to its all-time high of 4.86 million set in 2021. The park has fully recovered from the devastating 2022 floods that cratered its numbers.
Description
Ah, Yellowstone National Park, the national park that started it all, is the third most visited national park in America. Yellowstone is an absolutely spectacular and magical national park. A landscape dotted with otherworldly thermal works, bison holdouts from a time when they ruled the prairie, a thriving wolf population, and an encapsulation of the great American West.
Yellowstone is the Disneyland of national parks, complete with food courts, souvenir shops, resort villages, and more. Street traffic (and we’re not talking “bison jams”) due to the sheer number of cars entering the park has become a real issue here. As a result, and despite its stunning beauty, we recommend visiting in the off-season for the best experience.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Yellowstone is during the shoulder season when visitation is down. We like September when crowds are reduced, and some fall foliage is popping throughout the park. Check out our guide to visiting Yellowstone in the fall.
Best Things to Do
So many things. So little time. Of course, we recommend visiting Old Faithful, taking the magnificent Grand Canyon Rim hike, a whitewater rafting adventure if you’re willing to be a bit daring, taking the five-mile loop hike through the entire Upper Geyser Basin or just enjoying the endless views of mountains, geysers, canyons, rivers, lakes and so much more.
4. Grand Canyon National Park
Location: Arizona
2025 Visitation: 4,430,653
2026 Visitation: 4,733,705 (#2)
2021 Numbers: 4,532,677 (#4)
Visitors Per Square Mile: 2,486 visitors per square mile.
Average Length of Visit: 15 Hours 38 Minutes
Our Favorite Resources: Map / Guidebook / Things to Do / Best Views / Closest Cities / South Rim / North Rim / Where to Stay / Winter / Facts /Bright Angel Trail / Rim to Rim
Visitation Summary
Grand Canyon dropped to #4 in 2025, losing ground to both Zion and Yellowstone. Visitation fell 6% from 2026, likely affected by the government shutdown. Still, 4.4 million people stood on the rim of one of the world’s great wonders. Have you seen the amazing things to do at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon? Just 6% of all vehicles that enter the park go through the North Rim entrance.
Description
We could try to describe to you the singular beauty and majesty of one of the great wonders of the world, or we could let one of America’s greatest presidents do it–President Theodore Roosevelt.
“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is.
I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit Grand Canyon National Park is during the off-season, like September and October, when the park cools down, and so does the visitation.
5. Yosemite National Park
Location: California
2025 Visitation: 4,278,413
2026 Visitation: 3,897,070 (#6)
2021 Visitation: 3,287,595 (#8)
Visitors Per Square Mile: Approximately 3,336 visitors per square mile
Average Length of Visit: 13 hours and 22 minutes
My Favorite Resources: Map / Guidebook / Facts / Where to Stay / Things to Do
Visitation Summary
Yosemite surged to #5 in 2025, jumping from #6 with a 10% increase in visitation. With 4.28 million visitors, this was Yosemite’s busiest year in recent memory. We recommend only visiting this park in the off-season or during times that the reservation system is in place due to the severe overcrowding. Summer visitors face the timed-entry system or planning entrance very early or late in the afternoon.
Description
Alas, it’s the 21st century, and John Muir’s “grandest of all temples of nature” is bursting at the seams with tourists in search of their latest social media trophy. But ultimately, it’s still Yosemite National Park. Once there, you’ll realize just why the park is one of the most popular in the US.
Despite the summer crowds, the valley and the park are truly one of the natural wonders of the world. The immense beauty found here is overwhelming and tends to make one feel small in the most humbling way.
Best Time To Visit
We recommend visiting in the off-season for the best experience. This means avoiding peak summer crowds by visiting in the spring and fall. Remember, February brings the Horsetail Fall, which is also so popular that it now requires reservations.
Top 10 Most Visited National Parks in America
6. Rocky Mountain National Park
Location: Colorado
2025 Visitation: 4,171,431
2026 Visitation: 4,115,837 (#5)
2021 Visitation: 4,434,848 (#5)
Visitors Per Square Mile: Approximately 9,916 visitors per square mile
Average Length of Visit: 6 Hours 31 Minutes
Our Favorite Resources: Guide / Map / Guidebook / Hikes / Things to Do / Where to Stay / Video / Facts
Visitation Summary
Rocky Mountain held steady at 4.17 million visitors in 2025, a slight uptick from 2026. The park dropped from #5 to #6 as Yosemite leapfrogged it, but Rocky Mountain remains one of the most consistently visited parks in the system. The timed-entry permit system continues to manage peak-season access along Trail Ridge Road.
Description
Tucked into the heart of Colorado’s Front Range, Rocky Mountain National Park spans more than 400 square miles of mountain scenery and is the 6th most popular national park in the US. This national park is considered by many to be the crown jewel of the American Rockies, and it’s no wonder why.
Rocky Mountain is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife, including elk, moose, bighorn sheep, beaver, deer, black bear, eagles, marmots, mountain lions, and so much more.
Best Time To Visit
We recommend going to see the magnificent fall colors from late September to the beginning of October, as well as the elk rutting season.
7. Acadia National Park
Location: Maine
2025 Visitation: 4,079,318
2026 Visitation: 3,879,890 (#7)
2021 Visitation: 4,069,098 (#6)
Visitors Per Square Mile: Approximately 50,591 visitors per square mile (That’s 154% higher than the per-square-mile of Zion!)
Average Length of Visit: 6 Hours 39 Minutes
Our Favorite Resources: Guide / Map / Hikes / Guidebook / Where to Stay / Video / Facts / Things to Do / Summer / Winter / Road Trip
Visitation Summary
Acadia crossed the 4 million mark again in 2025 with 4.08 million visitors, a 5% increase from 2026. It seems that’s about the ceiling for this park, with summer traffic and full campsites making even locals cringe at its newfound fame.
Description
Along the rocky shores of Maine’s coast, you’ll find this easternmost national park. Once the exclusive domain of the Gilded Age elite, a few civic-minded residents decided to make Acadia’s beauty available to all Americans by donating the land to the National Park Service – and boy, are we glad they did.
With rounded mountains, shimmering lakes (called ponds here), rugged coastline, and forests dotted with old stone roads and trails, this New England national park is a real treasure.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Acadia National Park is in the Fall when one of the most brilliant foliage displays in the world takes place. Mid to late October is best for peak fall foliage, but you really can’t go wrong here. Also, don’t sleep on Acadia National Park in the winter. You get amazing access to trails covered in snow or get the bonus of a mild winter yet still empty trails.
8. Grand Teton National Park
Location: Wyoming
2025 Visitation: 3,800,648
2026 Visitation: 3,417,106 (#8)
2021 Visitation: 3,885,230 (#7)
Visitors Per Square Mile: Approximately 7,119 visitors per square mile
Average Length of Visit: 6 Hours 22 Minutes
Our Favorite Resources: Guide / Maps / Guidebook / Hikes / Things to Do / Where to Stay / Video / Facts
Visitation Summary
Grand Teton held its #8 spot with 3.8 million visitors in 2025, an 11% jump from 2026. The Yellowstone-Grand Teton corridor continues to be one of the most popular road trip combinations in the system, and as Yellowstone crowds grow, more people are discovering that Grand Teton offers a quieter, equally stunning experience.
Description
Grand Teton National Park is truly iconic and, thanks to strong management and foresight, has been able to avoid the crowding more characteristic of its neighbor to the north, Yellowstone. Here, you’ll find the spectacular Teton mountains, the winding Snake River, gorgeous lakes and valleys, and some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the entire national park system.
Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit Grand Teton National Park is early July when wildlife is on the move and wildflowers are on full display. Looking to avoid the crowds? October gets fewer than 250,000 visitors.
9. Olympic National Park
Location: Washington
2025 Visitation: 3,584,187
2026 Visitation: 2,947,503 (#10)
2021 Visitation: 2,718,925 (#12)
Visitors Per Square Mile: Approximately 2,105 visitors per square mile
Average Length of Visit: 5 Hours 16 Minutes
My Favorite Resources: Guide / Map / Guidebook / Things to Do / Hikes / Where to Stay / Video
Visitation Summary
Olympic National Park surged to #9 in 2025 with 3.58 million visitors, a massive 22% increase from 2026 and a new all-time record for the park. We still stand by our ranking of the best national park in America. The park’s incredible diversity — rainforests, mountains, wild coastline, and alpine lakes — has clearly caught on with a broader audience.
Description
Olympic National Park is the most diverse national park in America, hands down. This park has everything from lowland forests, striking mountain ranges, pristine alpine lakes, sparkling rivers, temperate rainforests (the largest in North America), iconic wildlife, and over 50 miles of wild coastline!
Oh, and it’s a stone’s throw from Seattle! Olympic National Park truly has it all and without the crowds that have become so insidious in other US national parks in recent years – which is why we rank this Pacific Northwest gem as the best national park in America.
Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit Olympic National Park is in the summer when precipitation is at a low, trails are melted out, temperatures are warm, and days are long. August is the busiest month, and June is the slowest summer month. Specifically, the months of July and August are best, but make sure to check for fires in the area prior to booking your trip (if possible).
10. Glacier National Park
Location: Montana
2025 Visitation: 3,136,557
2026 Visitation: 2,933,616 (#11)
Visitors Per Square Mile: Approximately 2,068 visitors per square mile
Average Length of Visit: 12 Hours 5 Minutes
My Favorite Resources: Guide / Things to Do / Hikes / Facts
Visitation Summary
Glacier National Park returns to the Top 10 in 2025 with 3.14 million visitors, bumping Joshua Tree from the list. The park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road vehicle reservation system hasn’t slowed demand one bit. As the park’s namesake glaciers continue to shrink, more people seem determined to see them before they’re gone.
Description
Glacier National Park is one of the most spectacular places on the planet. The Crown of the Continent, as it’s known, features over 700 miles of trails threading through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in North America. Turquoise lakes, ancient glaciers, and the legendary Going-to-the-Sun Road make this a bucket-list park for good reason.
Best Time To Visit
The best time to visit Glacier National Park is mid-July through mid-September when Going-to-the-Sun Road is fully open. September offers fewer crowds and a chance to see fall colors creeping into the alpine valleys.
When to Visit to Avoid Crowds
Every park on this list has a peak season that can turn even the most spectacular scenery into a traffic jam. Here is our quick reference for timing your visit to skip the worst of it.
| Park | Peak Season | Best Time to Avoid Crowds | Pro Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Smoky Mountains | Jun-Oct | Jan-Feb, weekdays | Cades Cove at dawn before the loop opens to cars |
| Zion | Mar-Nov | Dec-Feb | Winter means no shuttle required and empty trails |
| Yellowstone | Jun-Aug | Sep-Oct | Lamar Valley in fall for wolf watching without crowds |
| Grand Canyon | Jun-Aug | Nov-Feb | North Rim closes mid-Oct but South Rim is quiet in winter |
| Yosemite | Jun-Sep | Nov-Apr | Valley is magical in snow and almost empty |
| Rocky Mountain | Jun-Sep | Oct, May | Trail Ridge Road opens late May, before summer rush |
| Acadia | Jul-Aug | Oct, May | Fall foliage in Oct is peak beauty with manageable crowds |
| Grand Teton | Jul-Aug | Sep-Oct | Fall colors + elk rut with half the summer visitors |
| Olympic | Jul-Aug | Apr-May, Oct | Shoulder seasons have wildflowers or fall color |
| Glacier | Jul-Aug | Sep | Going-to-the-Sun Road open, summer crowds gone |
Key Takeaways from the 2025 National Park Visitation Statistics
The 2025 data tells a clear story: despite a 43-day government shutdown that left most parks without staff, Americans still showed up in force. The 323 million total visits represent just a 2.7% dip from 2026’s record, and 26 individual parks set all-time highs.
The biggest shakeup in the Top 10 was Zion vaulting to #2, its highest ranking in years. Nearly 5 million people squeezed into a park roughly the size of a mid-sized city. Meanwhile, Grand Canyon slid from #2 to #4, and Yosemite climbed from #6 to #5 with its largest visitation in years.
Olympic National Park was the big mover, surging 22% to crack the Top 10 for the first time since before the pandemic. Glacier National Park also returned to the Top 10, pushing Joshua Tree out of the list.
USA National Parks that Broke Records in 2025
A total of 26 parks set new all-time visitation records in 2025. Notable record-breakers include:
- Olympic National Park: 3,584,187 Visitors (new all-time record)
- Glacier National Park: 3,136,557 Visitors
- Zion National Park: 4,984,525 Visitors (closing in on the all-time high)
- Acadia National Park: 4,079,318 Visitors (crossed the 4 million mark again)
Joshua Tree National Park and Cuyahoga Valley both fell out of the Top 10 in 2025, replaced by Olympic and Glacier.
Map of Most Visited National Parks
List of Top 10 Most Visited National Parks (2025)
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains NP | 11,527,939 | |
| 2 | Zion NP | 4,984,525 | |
| 3 | Yellowstone NP | 4,762,988 | |
| 4 | Grand Canyon NP | 4,430,653 | |
| 5 | Yosemite NP | 4,278,413 | |
| 6 | Rocky Mountain NP | 4,171,431 | |
| 7 | Acadia NP | 4,079,318 | |
| 8 | Grand Teton NP | 3,800,648 | |
| 9 | Olympic NP | 3,584,187 | |
| 10 | Glacier NP | 3,136,557 |
List of Top 10 Least Visited National Parks
| 54 | Great Basin NP | 143,265 |
| 55 | Dry Tortugas NP | 84,285 |
| 56 | Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES | 78,305 |
| 57 | North Cascades NP | 40,351 |
| 58 | Katmai NP & PRES | 33,763 |
| 59 | Isle Royale NP | 28,965 |
| 60 | Lake Clark NP & PRES | 19,778 |
| 61 | Kobuk Valley NP | 7,786 |
| 62 | National Park of American Samoa | 12,135 |
| 63 | Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES | 14,923 |
List of Top 10 Least Visited National Parks in the Lower 48
The least visited national parks generally have two things in common. First, no roads and/or around the park. Gates of the Arctic will long be at the bottom unless Americans get a rush on exploring a park with no roads and or trails. Hiking there means following hard-to-find paths made by animals.
Second, being on an island provides a challenge for access. Boats and seaplane trips cost money. Also, the limited room on those modes of transportation always holds visitors back. I can guarantee that ferries to Dry Tortugas National Park aren’t running routes with 10 people on them. They’re packed and booked months in advance.
In the spirit of full transparency, here are the top least visited national parks in the lower 48 of America that aren’t on an island.
| 1 | North Cascades NP | 40,351 |
| 2 | Great Basin NP | 143,265 |
| 3 | Voyageurs NP | 220,825 |
| 4 | Guadalupe Mountains NP | 227,340 |
| 5 | Congaree NP | 250,114 |
| 6 | Pinnacles NP | 341,220 |
| 7 | Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP | 357,069 |
| 8 | Carlsbad Caverns NP | 394,121 |
| 9 | Redwood NP | 409,105 |
| 10 | Lassen Volcanic NP | 418,978 |
Complete List of All 63 Most Visited National Parks
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains NP | 11,527,939 |
| 2 | Zion NP | 4,984,525 |
| 3 | Yellowstone NP | 4,762,988 |
| 4 | Grand Canyon NP | 4,430,653 |
| 5 | Yosemite NP | 4,278,413 |
| 6 | Rocky Mountain NP | 4,171,431 |
| 7 | Acadia NP | 4,079,318 |
| 8 | Grand Teton NP | 3,800,648 |
| 9 | Olympic NP | 3,584,187 |
| 10 | Glacier NP | 3,136,557 |
| 11 | Cuyahoga Valley NP | 2,860,059 |
| 12 | Joshua Tree NP | 3,270,404 |
| 13 | Indiana Dunes NP | 2,765,892 |
| 14 | Hot Springs NP | 2,502,967 |
| 15 | Bryce Canyon NP | 2,461,269 |
| 16 | Gateway Arch NP | 2,422,836 |
| 17 | New River Gorge NP & PRES | 1,707,223 |
| 18 | Mount Rainier NP | 1,674,294 |
| 19 | Hawaii Volcanoes NP | 1,620,294 |
| 20 | Shenandoah NP | 1,576,008 |
| 21 | Arches NP | 1,482,045 |
| 22 | Capitol Reef NP | 1,268,861 |
| 23 | Death Valley NP | 1,099,632 |
| 24 | Badlands NP | 1,046,400 |
| 25 | Saguaro NP | 1,010,906 |
| 26 | Sequoia NP | 980,567 |
| 27 | Everglades NP | 810,189 |
| 28 | Canyonlands NP | 800,322 |
| 29 | Haleakala NP | 791,292 |
| 30 | Theodore Roosevelt NP | 746,862 |
| 31 | White Sands NP | 729,096 |
| 32 | Glacier Bay NP & PRES | 703,659 |
| 33 | Mammoth Cave NP | 654,450 |
| 34 | Kings Canyon NP | 643,065 |
| 35 | Wind Cave NP | 592,459 |
| 36 | Biscayne NP | 571,242 |
| 37 | Crater Lake NP | 559,976 |
| 38 | Petrified Forest NP | 520,491 |
| 39 | Great Sand Dunes NP & PRES | 512,219 |
| 40 | Big Bend NP | 509,129 |
| 41 | Mesa Verde NP | 505,194 |
| 42 | Denali NP & PRES | 498,722 |
| 43 | Lassen Volcanic NP | 418,978 |
| 44 | Redwood NP | 409,105 |
| 45 | Carlsbad Caverns NP | 394,121 |
| 46 | Kenai Fjords NP | 387,525 |
| 47 | Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP | 357,069 |
| 48 | Virgin Islands NP | 343,685 |
| 49 | Pinnacles NP | 341,220 |
| 50 | Channel Islands NP | 328,746 |
| 51 | Congaree NP | 250,114 |
| 52 | Guadalupe Mountains NP | 227,340 |
| 53 | Voyageurs NP | 220,825 |
| 54 | Great Basin NP | 143,265 |
| 55 | Dry Tortugas NP | 84,285 |
| 56 | Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES | 78,305 |
| 57 | North Cascades NP | 40,351 |
| 58 | Katmai NP & PRES | 33,763 |
| 59 | Isle Royale NP | 28,965 |
| 60 | Lake Clark NP & PRES | 19,778 |
| 61 | Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES | 14,923 |
| 62 | National Park of American Samoa | 12,135 |
| 63 | Kobuk Valley NP | 7,786 |
More Than Just “Most Visited” Parks
Now, this is where some of the context will come in as you review these numbers, and I want to make it as simple as possible. However, I also want to show you the math behind the process so it doesn’t appear we’re doing voodoo or favoring any particular spot.
(If you’ve read my Dry Tortugas National Park Things to Do article, you’ll know I get worked up about people calling it a “least visited park,” since that statement comes without a WORLD of context. Just try to get a campsite for next week. I’ll wait.)
Visitors Per Square Mile
This information balances the playing field a bit while also showing some logic behind timed entry and reservations. Since this article focuses on national parks, it’s important to know the average number of people who visit national parks compared to the square miles of each park.
For all National Park Service sites, every square mile would have roughly 100 people on it based on the most recent available data (2025). For the designated National Parks, there were approximately 1,100 people per square mile. That at least gives us an overall benchmark.
How Long Visitors Spend at National Parks
Then, a new category we created shows how many recreation hours people spend at parks. Across all park sites, the average person spent 8.2 hours (8 hours, 12 minutes). You’ll find some parks might have more people visiting, but those guests only stay a half day. Others might have average stays of 2 or more days.
You can also break down the data into how many people camped in the frontcountry, backcountry, and used park lodging. The data is available on the NPS website, but leave a comment below if you have a particular category that interests you, and I can help.
Least/Most Visited National Parks in USA Facts
The downside of the best national parks in the USA and the least visited American parks comes with the beauty of the parks stuck in the middle.
As I mentioned earlier, the lack of context widely reported on these stories makes my head explode. Here are a few examples of things you didn’t know about some of the most visited national parks in America.
Isle Royale National Park
This stunning island off the Upper Peninsula in Michigan holds wilderness, scenic views, epic paddling, shipwrecks lighthouses, and boat tours. Plus, Isle Royale stands as the only national park far too dangerous to visit in the winter. The park closes from November 15 through April 1. Regular ferry trips might not start until May and close up in October.
At the same time, Isle Royale is consistently one of the most re-visited parks. People keep coming back. Why?
- Considering just the island, there are only 140 visitors per square mile.
- Taking into account the five-mile water perimeter ripe for boating and paddling, that’s 33 people per square mile. Remember, Zion has 19,929 visitors per square mile.
- Worried you’ll get bored on a small island? The average visitor spends 53 hours here. That’s two nights at one of the campsites or hotels.
Would you call that an unpopular park because it’s among the “least visited”? In order for Isle Royale National Park to meet the “people per square mile” of Zion, it would require 4,118,038 visitors – and ferry service just can’t accommodate that, nor would the wilderness hold up with those kinds of crowds.
Channel Islands National Park
We now arrive at California’s least visited national park. In a good news/bad news situation, depending on how you look at it, Channel Islands, California, is less visited than you might think.
Channel Islands National Park in California saw 328,746 visits in 2026. However, those visits include people who stop by the visitor centers in Santa Barbara or Ventura. Only about 36% of those people get on a boat to go to the islands or tour around the islands. Another 26% take their own boat.
Even when I do all my fun math and data crunching, at the least crowded, there could still be 565 people per square mile. Do you want to be on a series of five smaller islands with that many people? Check out some of the lesser visited islands of Channel Islands National Park, California, and you’ll have the bulk of an island to yourself.
Alaska National Parks and Least Visited Status
The Alaska national parks seem to get the “least visited” moniker many times over, but that’s mostly due to a lack of roads to get there or within the parks some of the parks.
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve breaks the mold and ranks in the top 35 most visited national parks. Why? Because 95% of its visitors come from the cruise port.
On the flip side, Denali National Park and Preserve also make it to the top 45 most visited national parks. Of course, having the tallest mountain in North America helps. I had a friend tell me she didn’t want to go there because “there were no roads.” There ARE roads to and around Denali, but only 1% of visitors use them. By and large, a tour bus is the way to go.
At the same time, Denali dealt with the Pretty Rocks landslide, which was a blow to visitor numbers. Yet still, nearly 500,000 people visited this famed piece of Alaska.
Final Thoughts About Least Visited Parks
I hope I’ve helped you put some context to the national park visitation data. Asking “why” or “what does that mean” is a critical part of enjoying the national park experience catered to your preference, not just following the crowds to the “most popular” parks.
If you’re wondering what is the most visited national park in the world (outside of the United States), it’s Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, with about four million visitors a year. There are approximately 1,559 visitors per square mile.
Leave us a comment below!
Which of these parks do you think is the most overcrowded for its size? Acadia squeezes 4 million visitors into 49,000 acres. Zion packs nearly 5 million into 147,000 acres. We think Zion has it worse. Fight us in the comments.
See Our Full National Park Rankings
We actually ranked ALL 63 National Parks from best to worst using the same point system featured in this article here. Curious to see how California’s parks stack up against the rest of the parks nationwide?
Pin Most Visited National Parks in America
Click for Pins!
More Helpful Information on the National Parks
List of National Monuments: Ultimate List of National Monuments (Alphabetical + By State)
Best National Parks Ranked: ALL 63 US NATIONAL PARKS RANKED By Experts
Free Downloadable National Parks Map & List: LIST & MAP of National Parks By State (+ Printable Checklist)
Best National Parks to Visit: 20 Best National Parks to Visit 2026
Largest National Parks: 15 Largest National Parks in the United States (+ Full List)
Best National Monuments: All 128 US National Monuments Ranked (Best to Worst)
Least Visited National Parks: Top 10 Least Visited National Parks
Best East Coast National Parks: Top 10 Best East Coast National Parks Ranked
Utah National Parks Road Trips: 5 Best Utah National Park Road Trips
Best National Park Road Trips: 10 Best National Park Road Trips
You list Zion National Park in Tennessee, it’s in Utah. Probably should change that.
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for the catch! We just updated & re-ordered this list with the new data from 2021 and looks like that one got transposed.
Have a great day!
Will
It’s shocking to see Death Valley and Sequoia at 23 and 26 respectively even though being more popular than many in the top 20.
However, it’s a superb article! Keep posting!
Hi Manikanta,
I felt the same way! So many great gems out there that are somewhat lesser visited. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Best,
Will
The title says 2022 but all of the data and text says 2021, and the numbers/parks aren’t accurate… It’s disappointing to see this ranking #1 on Google when it’s full of errors.
Hi Valerie,
Thanks so much for taking the time to read through this article and leave a comment. You were completely right – the numbers were dated and that’s on us. I just totally updated the article with all of the latest numbers and stats. Let me know if you think I’m missing anything that would be helpful and I’ll be glad to update again.
Best,
Will
Hey Jennifer: We’re trying to connect with you for the ABC news segment. Your email bounces back. Can you please reach out?
Tanya