In a testament to
the enduring allure of America's natural and historical wonders, the National
Park Service (NPS) welcomed approximately 325.5 million recreation visits across
its 400 sites last year, according to its newly released annual visitation
report.
That’s a notable
increase of four percent, or 13 million visits, over 2022 as the National Park system
continues the long climb out of its pandemic-era struggles. According to CNN,
2016 remains the peak year for recreational national park visits, boasting a
total of nearly 331 million.?
“From Kaloko
Honokōhau National Historic Park in Hawai’i to Congaree National Park in South
Carolina, parks are attracting more visitors each year to learn about our
shared history,”?National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a news
release.
?
As per usual, there
were several predictably perennial favorite sites among visitors, which proved
to be among the top 10 most popular.?
Topping the list,
as expected, is the scenic marvel known as the Blue Ridge Parkway, renowned for
its breathtaking vistas and winding roads that showcase ever-changing seasonal
landscapes. Boasting an impressive 16.75 million visits in 2023, visits to this
spectacular strip of roadway constituted 5.15 percent of all visits to the NPS
system.
The only newcomer
to the lineup is Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which makes its top 10 debut
despite facing challenges from extensive drought in the Southwest in 2022.
Meanwhile, the emotionally poignant Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington,
D.C., although slipping out of the top 10, maintained a respectable position at
Number 12 in the rankings.
The National Mall with a view of Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/kmiragaya)
2023’s Top 10 Most-Visited
NPS Sites?
- Blue Ridge
Parkway?(16.75 million visits)
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area?(14.95 million)
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park?(13.29 million)
- Gateway National Recreation Area?(8.70 million)
- Gulf Islands National Seashore?(8.27 million)
- Lincoln Memorial?(8.09 million)
- George Washington Memorial Parkway?(7.39 million)
- Natchez Trace Parkway?(6.78 million)
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area?(5.79 million)
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area?(5.20 million)
In keeping with
the most-visited NPS sites, Great Smoky Mountains National Park—which straddles
the border between North Carolina and Tennessee—tops the list of headliner
national parks. Typically occupying the top spot from year to year, the massive
park welcomed more than13 million visitors in 2023.?
The Grand Canyon and Colorado River, Arizona. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Andy Evans Photos)
The list of the most
popular national parks excludes other types of NPS sites, such as memorials,
battlefields, recreation areas, etc. Last year, California’s Joshua Tree and
Washington’s Olympic National Park pushed their way into the top 10, knocking
Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley and Montana’s Glacier National Park out of their 2022
top most-visited spots.?
2023’s Top 10 Most-Visited
National Parks
- Great Smoky
Mountains National Park?(13.29
million)
- Grand Canyon National Park?(4.73 million)
- Zion National Park?(4.62 million)
- Yellowstone National Park?(4.50 million)
- Rocky Mountain National Park?(4.11 million)
- Yosemite National Park?(3.89 million)
- Acadia National Park?(3.87 million)
- Grand Teton National Park?(3.41 million)
- Joshua Tree National Park?(3.27 million)
- Olympic National Park?(2.94 million)
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
