National Park Visitation

How the U.S. national parks rank by the number of visits

By RON LIZZI - GoOutsideBook.com

 

 

Below are 2018 annual visitation statistics from the National Park Service for the 60 U.S. national parks, in three tables:

 

 

In 2018 Gateway Arch National Park became the 60th national park, and it's included in the rankings. Indiana Dunes National Park, formerly a national lakeshore, was made the 61st national park in 2019, and it will appear in next year's rankings.

 

The total number of recreational visits to all the national parks in 2018 was 84,122,421, down 1.6% from 2017, with 34 of 60 parks seeing decreases.*

 

Note that the statistics are for recreational visits, not unique visitors. A given visitor may have multiple visits to the same park. A park with more visits than another did not necessarily have more unique visitors.

 

Visit the American Park Ratings page to see ratings from Consumer Reports and GoOutsideBook.com of many of the most popular parks, plus an interactive map with photos and links.

 

 

 

SORTED BY NUMBER OF VISITS

Park Name State(s) Visits / Rank Change from Previous Year
Visits / % Change / Rank
Great Smoky Mountains NP NC, TN 11,421,200 1  +82,307 +0.7% 24 
Grand Canyon NP AZ 6,380,495 2  +126,257 +2.0% 19 
Rocky Mountain NP CO 4,590,493 3  +153,278 +3.5% 16 
Zion NP UT 4,320,033 4  -184,779 -4.1% 35 
Yellowstone NP ID, MT, WY 4,115,000 5  -1,524 0.0% 27 
Yosemite NP CA 4,009,436 6  -327,454 -7.6% 43 
Acadia NP ME 3,537,575 7  +28,304 +0.8% 23 
Grand Teton NP WY 3,491,151 8  +174,151 +5.3% 12 
Olympic NP WA 3,104,455 9  -297,541 -8.7% 47 
Glacier NP MT 2,965,309 10  -340,203 -10.3% 51 
Joshua Tree NP CA 2,942,382 11  +88,763 +3.1% 17 
Bryce Canyon NP UT 2,679,478 12  +107,794 +4.2% 15 
Cuyahoga Valley NP OH 2,096,053 13  -130,826 -5.9% 40 
Gateway Arch NP MO 2,016,180 14  +617,992 +44.2% 1 
Death Valley NP CA, NV 1,678,660 15  +383,833 +29.6% 2 
Arches NP UT 1,663,557 16  +124,529 +8.1% 6 
Mount Rainier NP WA 1,518,491 17  +102,624 +7.2% 7 
Hot Springs NP AR 1,506,887 18  -54,729 -3.5% 33 
Shenandoah NP VA 1,264,880 19  -193,994 -13.3% 53 
Sequoia NP CA 1,229,594 20  -61,662 -4.8% 38 
Capitol Reef NP UT 1,227,627 21  +77,462 +6.7% 8 
Hawaii Volcanoes NP HI 1,116,891 22  -899,811 -44.6% 58 
Haleakala NP HI 1,044,084 23  -68,306 -6.1% 41 
Badlands NP SD 1,008,942  24  -45,383 -4.3% 36 
Saguaro NP AZ 957,405 25  -7,355 -0.8% 30 
Theodore Roosevelt NP ND 749,389 26  +41,386 +5.8% 11 
Canyonlands NP UT 739,449 27  -2,822 -0.4% 29 
Crater Lake NP OR 720,659 28  +8,910 +1.3% 20 
Kings Canyon NP CA 699,023 29  +6,091 +0.9% 22 
Wind Cave NP SD 656,397 30  +36,473 +5.9% 10 
Petrified Forest NP AZ 644,922 31  +17,165 +2.7% 18 
Glacier Bay NP & PRES AK 597,915 32  +50,858 +9.3% 4 
Everglades NP FL 597,124 33  -421,433 -41.4% 57 
Denali NP & PRES AK 594,660 34  -48,149 -7.5% 42 
Mesa Verde NP CO 563,420 35  -50,368 -8.2% 44 
Mammoth Cave NP KY 533,206 36  -54,647 -9.3% 50 
Lassen Volcanic NP CA 499,435 37  -7,821 -1.5% 32 
Redwood NP CA 482,536 38  +37,536 +8.4% 5 
Biscayne NP FL 469,253 39  +22,292 +5.0% 13 
Carlsbad Caverns NP NM 465,912 40  -54,114 -10.4% 52 
Great Sand Dunes NP & PRES CO 442,905 41  -44,030 -9.0% 49 
Big Bend NP TX 440,091 42  -185 0.0% 28 
Channel Islands NP CA 366,250 43  -17,437 -4.5% 37 
Kenai Fjords NP AK 321,596 44  +17,998 +5.9% 9 
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP CO 308,962 45  +1,819 +0.6% 25 
Voyageurs NP MN 239,656 46  +2,406 +1.0% 21 
Pinnacles NP CA 222,152 47  -11,182 -4.8% 39 
Guadalupe Mountains NP TX 172,347 48  -52,910 -23.5% 55 
Great Basin NP NV 153,094 49  -14,934 -8.9% 48 
Congaree NP SC 145,929 50  -13,666 -8.6% 46 
Virgin Islands NP VI 112,287 51  -192,121 -63.1% 60 
Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES AK 79,450 52  +11,158 +16.3% 3 
Dry Tortugas NP FL 56,810 53  +2,529 +4.7% 14 
Katmai NP & PRES* AK 37,818 54  0 0.0% 26 
North Cascades NP WA 30,085 55  -241 -0.8% 31 
National Park of American Samoa AS 28,626 56  -40,842 -58.8% 59 
Isle Royale NP MI 25,798 57  -2,398 -8.5% 45 
Kobuk Valley NP* AK 14,937 58  -563 -3.6% 34 
Lake Clark NP & PRES AK 14,479 59  -8,276 -36.4% 56 
Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES AK 9,591 60  -1,586 -14.2% 54 

 

 

 

SORTED BY PERCENTAGE CHANGE IN NUMBER OF VISITS

Park Name State(s) Visits / Rank Change from Previous Year
Visits / % Change / Rank
Gateway Arch NP MO 2,016,180 14  +617,992 +44.2% 1 
Death Valley NP CA, NV 1,678,660 15  +383,833 +29.6% 2 
Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES AK 79,450 52  +11,158 +16.3% 3 
Glacier Bay NP & PRES AK 597,915 32  +50,858 +9.3% 4 
Redwood NP CA 482,536 38  +37,536 +8.4% 5 
Arches NP UT 1,663,557 16  +124,529 +8.1% 6 
Mount Rainier NP WA 1,518,491 17  +102,624 +7.2% 7 
Capitol Reef NP UT 1,227,627 21  +77,462 +6.7% 8 
Kenai Fjords NP AK 321,596 44  +17,998 +5.9% 9 
Wind Cave NP SD 656,397 30  +36,473 +5.9% 10 
Theodore Roosevelt NP ND 749,389 26  +41,386 +5.8% 11 
Grand Teton NP WY 3,491,151 8  +174,151 +5.3% 12 
Biscayne NP FL 469,253 39  +22,292 +5.0% 13 
Dry Tortugas NP FL 56,810 53  +2,529 +4.7% 14 
Bryce Canyon NP UT 2,679,478 12  +107,794 +4.2% 15 
Rocky Mountain NP CO 4,590,493 3  +153,278 +3.5% 16 
Joshua Tree NP CA 2,942,382 11  +88,763 +3.1% 17 
Petrified Forest NP AZ 644,922 31  +17,165 +2.7% 18 
Grand Canyon NP AZ 6,380,495 2  +126,257 +2.0% 19 
Crater Lake NP OR 720,659 28  +8,910 +1.3% 20 
Voyageurs NP MN 239,656 46  +2,406 +1.0% 21 
Kings Canyon NP CA 699,023 29  +6,091 +0.9% 22 
Acadia NP ME 3,537,575 7  +28,304 +0.8% 23 
Great Smoky Mountains NP NC, TN 11,421,200 1  +82,307 +0.7% 24 
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP CO 308,962 45  +1,819 +0.6% 25 
Katmai NP & PRES* AK 37,818 54  0 0.0% 26 
Yellowstone NP ID, MT, WY 4,115,000 5  -1,524 0.0% 27 
Big Bend NP TX 440,091 42  -185 0.0% 28 
Canyonlands NP UT 739,449 27  -2,822 -0.4% 29 
Saguaro NP AZ 957,405 25  -7,355 -0.8% 30 
North Cascades NP WA 30,085 55  -241 -0.8% 31 
Lassen Volcanic NP CA 499,435 37  -7,821 -1.5% 32 
Hot Springs NP AR 1,506,887 18  -54,729 -3.5% 33 
Kobuk Valley NP* AK 14,937 58  -563 -3.6% 34 
Zion NP UT 4,320,033 4  -184,779 -4.1% 35 
Badlands NP SD 1,008,942  24  -45,383 -4.3% 36 
Channel Islands NP CA 366,250 43  -17,437 -4.5% 37 
Sequoia NP CA 1,229,594 20  -61,662 -4.8% 38 
Pinnacles NP CA 222,152 47  -11,182 -4.8% 39 
Cuyahoga Valley NP OH 2,096,053 13  -130,826 -5.9% 40 
Haleakala NP HI 1,044,084 23  -68,306 -6.1% 41 
Denali NP & PRES AK 594,660 34  -48,149 -7.5% 42 
Yosemite NP CA 4,009,436 6  -327,454 -7.6% 43 
Mesa Verde NP CO 563,420 35  -50,368 -8.2% 44 
Isle Royale NP MI 25,798 57  -2,398 -8.5% 45 
Congaree NP SC 145,929 50  -13,666 -8.6% 46 
Olympic NP WA 3,104,455 9  -297,541 -8.7% 47 
Great Basin NP NV 153,094 49  -14,934 -8.9% 48 
Great Sand Dunes NP & PRES CO 442,905 41  -44,030 -9.0% 49 
Mammoth Cave NP KY 533,206 36  -54,647 -9.3% 50 
Glacier NP MT 2,965,309 10  -340,203 -10.3% 51 
Carlsbad Caverns NP NM 465,912 40  -54,114 -10.4% 52 
Shenandoah NP VA 1,264,880 19  -193,994 -13.3% 53 
Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES AK 9,591 60  -1,586 -14.2% 54 
Guadalupe Mountains NP TX 172,347 48  -52,910 -23.5% 55 
Lake Clark NP & PRES AK 14,479 59  -8,276 -36.4% 56 
Everglades NP FL 597,124 33  -421,433 -41.4% 57 
Hawaii Volcanoes NP HI 1,116,891 22  -899,811 -44.6% 58 
National Park of American Samoa AS 28,626 56  -40,842 -58.8% 59 
Virgin Islands NP VI 112,287 51  -192,121 -63.1% 60 

 

 

 

SORTED BY PARK NAME

Park Name State(s) Visits / Rank Change from Previous Year
Visits / % Change / Rank
Acadia NP ME 3,537,575 7  +28,304 +0.8% 23 
Arches NP UT 1,663,557 16  +124,529 +8.1% 6 
Badlands NP SD 1,008,942  24  -45,383 -4.3% 36 
Big Bend NP TX 440,091 42  -185 0.0% 28 
Biscayne NP FL 469,253 39  +22,292 +5.0% 13 
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP CO 308,962 45  +1,819 +0.6% 25 
Bryce Canyon NP UT 2,679,478 12  +107,794 +4.2% 15 
Canyonlands NP UT 739,449 27  -2,822 -0.4% 29 
Capitol Reef NP UT 1,227,627 21  +77,462 +6.7% 8 
Carlsbad Caverns NP NM 465,912 40  -54,114 -10.4% 52 
Channel Islands NP CA 366,250 43  -17,437 -4.5% 37 
Congaree NP SC 145,929 50  -13,666 -8.6% 46 
Crater Lake NP OR 720,659 28  +8,910 +1.3% 20 
Cuyahoga Valley NP OH 2,096,053 13  -130,826 -5.9% 40 
Death Valley NP CA, NV 1,678,660 15  +383,833 +29.6% 2 
Denali NP & PRES AK 594,660 34  -48,149 -7.5% 42 
Dry Tortugas NP FL 56,810 53  +2,529 +4.7% 14 
Everglades NP FL 597,124 33  -421,433 -41.4% 57 
Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES AK 9,591 60  -1,586 -14.2% 54 
Gateway Arch NP MO 2,016,180 14  +617,992 +44.2% 1 
Glacier NP MT 2,965,309 10  -340,203 -10.3% 51 
Glacier Bay NP & PRES AK 597,915 32  +50,858 +9.3% 4 
Grand Canyon NP AZ 6,380,495 2  +126,257 +2.0% 19 
Grand Teton NP WY 3,491,151 8  +174,151 +5.3% 12 
Great Basin NP NV 153,094 49  -14,934 -8.9% 48 
Great Sand Dunes NP & PRES CO 442,905 41  -44,030 -9.0% 49 
Great Smoky Mountains NP NC, TN 11,421,200 1  +82,307 +0.7% 24 
Guadalupe Mountains NP TX 172,347 48  -52,910 -23.5% 55 
Haleakala NP HI 1,044,084 23  -68,306 -6.1% 41 
Hawaii Volcanoes NP HI 1,116,891 22  -899,811 -44.6% 58 
Hot Springs NP AR 1,506,887 18  -54,729 -3.5% 33 
Isle Royale NP MI 25,798 57  -2,398 -8.5% 45 
Joshua Tree NP CA 2,942,382 11  +88,763 +3.1% 17 
Katmai NP & PRES* AK 37,818 54  0 0.0% 26 
Kenai Fjords NP AK 321,596 44  +17,998 +5.9% 9 
Kings Canyon NP CA 699,023 29  +6,091 +0.9% 22 
Kobuk Valley NP* AK 14,937 58  -563 -3.6% 34 
Lake Clark NP & PRES AK 14,479 59  -8,276 -36.4% 56 
Lassen Volcanic NP CA 499,435 37  -7,821 -1.5% 32 
Mammoth Cave NP KY 533,206 36  -54,647 -9.3% 50 
Mesa Verde NP CO 563,420 35  -50,368 -8.2% 44 
Mount Rainier NP WA 1,518,491 17  +102,624 +7.2% 7 
National Park of American Samoa AS 28,626 56  -40,842 -58.8% 59 
North Cascades NP WA 30,085 55  -241 -0.8% 31 
Olympic NP WA 3,104,455 9  -297,541 -8.7% 47 
Petrified Forest NP AZ 644,922 31  +17,165 +2.7% 18 
Pinnacles NP CA 222,152 47  -11,182 -4.8% 39 
Redwood NP CA 482,536 38  +37,536 +8.4% 5 
Rocky Mountain NP CO 4,590,493 3  +153,278 +3.5% 16 
Saguaro NP AZ 957,405 25  -7,355 -0.8% 30 
Sequoia NP CA 1,229,594 20  -61,662 -4.8% 38 
Shenandoah NP VA 1,264,880 19  -193,994 -13.3% 53 
Theodore Roosevelt NP ND 749,389 26  +41,386 +5.8% 11 
Virgin Islands NP VI 112,287 51  -192,121 -63.1% 60 
Voyageurs NP MN 239,656 46  +2,406 +1.0% 21 
Wind Cave NP SD 656,397 30  +36,473 +5.9% 10 
Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES AK 79,450 52  +11,158 +16.3% 3 
Yellowstone NP ID, MT, WY 4,115,000 5  -1,524 0.0% 27 
Yosemite NP CA 4,009,436 6  -327,454 -7.6% 43 
Zion NP UT 4,320,033 4  -184,779 -4.1% 35 

 

 

* Visitation figures for remote Alaskan parks that have no facilities or roads may be crude estimates.

 

 

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American Park Ratings