How many people visit our America’s national parks? Graphics explain
Each year, the National Park Service welcomes millions of visitors. Since the agency started tracking attendance in 1904, more than 15 billion people have paid visits to the National Park System.
With 63 national parks spanning the United States, visitors have their fair share of natural beauty to explore. From Acadia National Park in Maine to Olympic National Park in Washington and California’s Yosemite to North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains, each park provides a unique experience for tourists.
“Our national parks tell our shared American story. I’m glad visitors are finding hidden gems, exploring in the off-season and finding new ways to have a great time in our national parks,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams in a statement.
On Saturday April 20th, all fees to visit national parks will be lifted to celebrate the first day of national park week. Last year, the first day of national park week coincided with Earth Day.
How many people visit national parks each year?
The National Park Service said more than 325 million people visited the parks last year, up 4% from 2022. That includes visits to 400 parks run by the NPS. After the COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop in visitors, the total number of visitors has been on an upward trend. A study found that in April 2020, visitation to U.S. national parks decreased by about 87%, due to temporary closure of some parks.
In 2023, 38% percent of people visited recreation parks, 32% went to historical and cultural parks and 30% went to nature parks, according to NPS.
What are the most visited national parks?
Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in America, by far. Last year, it drew nearly three times the visitors as the second-most visited park, Grand Canyon, according to National Park Service data.
These were the 15 most visited national parks in 2023:
- Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee – 13,297,647
- Grand Canyon in Arizona – 4,733,705
- Zion in Utah – 4,623,238
- Yellowstone in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming – 4,501,382
- Rocky Mountain in Colorado – 4,115,837
- Yosemite in California – 3,897,070
- Acadia in Maine – 3,879,890
- Grand Teton in Wyoming – 3,417,106
- Joshua Tree in California – 3,270,404
- Olympic National Park in Washington – 2,947,503
- Glacier National Park in Montana – 2,933,616
- Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio – 2,860,059
- Indiana Dunes in Indiana – 2,765,892
- Hot Springs in Arkansas – 2,502,967
- Bryce Canyon in Utah – 2,461,269
Where are the national parks located?
All 50 states are home to other National Park Service units, like national battlefields and seashores, which are sometimes called parks.
The National Park System currently has 429 units. The most recent addition is Amanche National Historic Site in Colorado. Travelers can find sites by state on the National Park Service’s website.
What to know about National park week
National Park Week kicks off April 20 with free entry to every national park in America.
That’s not just capital NP national parks like Grand Teton and Olympic, but all 429 sites within the National Park System, ranging from national battlefields to seashores.
Entry fees are only waived that first day, but there are special activities planned throughout National Park Week (and many sites don’t charge entry fees anyway).
National Park Week spans nine days. It runs from April 20 through April 28.
Each day will spotlight a different parks-related theme.
- April 20: Discovery
- April 21: Volunteers
- April 22: Earth Day
- April 23: Innovation
- April 24: Workforce Wednesday
- April 25: Youth Engagement
- April 26: Community Connections
- April 27: Junior Ranger Day
- April 28: Arts in Parks