*LIST* The Most (& Least) Popular National Parks

By Lori

Last year was a big one for national parks across the country, which had a record high 331.8-million visitors, according to new data from the National Park Service. That’s almost a million more than the previous high of 330.9-million back in 2016, and a 2% increase from 2023.

  • These numbers cover the entire National Park System, which includes everything from national rivers to national monuments, but there are only 63 that have national park in their name.
  • Some parks are more popular than others and 28 set records for the most visitors in 2024.
  • These include Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida with 84,873 visits and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska with 736,282 visits.
  • So, what is the most-visited national park? Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to be the most popular, with more than 12.1-million people visiting last year.
  • But two other National Parks Service sites had even more visitors, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, with nearly 17.2-million visits, and Blue Ridge Parkway, with 16.7-million.
  • Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska got a lot less love last year, with only 11,907 visits, making it the least-visited national park in 2024.

The Top 10 Most-Visited National Parks in the U.S. in 2024

  1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee – 12.1 million visits
  2. Zion National Park in Utah – 4.9 million
  3. Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona – 4.9 million
  4. Yellowstone National Park in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming – 4.7 million
  5. Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado – 4.1 million
  6. Yosemite National Park in California – 4.1 million
  7. Acadia National Park in Maine – 3.9 million
  8. Olympic National Park in Washington – 3.7 million
  9. Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming – 3.6 million
  10. Glacier National Park in Montana – 3.2 million

The 10 Least-Visited National Parks in the U.S. in 2024

  1. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska - 11,907 visits
  2. North Cascades National Park in Washington - 16,485
  3. Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska - 17,233
  4. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska - 18,505
  5. Isle Royale National Park in Michigan - 28,806
  6. Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska - 36,230
  7. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska - 81,670
  8. Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida - 84,873
  9. Great Basin National Park in Nevada - 152,068
  10. Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota - 199,030

Source: USA Today

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