What are the top 15 most visited national parks?

15 most-visited national parks in 2022
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park - 12,937,633.
  • Grand Canyon National Park - 4,732,101.
  • Zion National Park - 4,692,417.
  • Rocky Mountain National Park - 4,300,424.
  • Acadia National Park - 3,970,260.
  • Yosemite National Park - 3,667,550.
  • Yellowstone National Park - 3,290,242.




Based on recent National Park Service (NPS) data leading into 2026, the list of the most visited parks is dominated by those with "high-fidelity" scenery and easy road access. The Great Smoky Mountains consistently ranks as #1 by a massive margin due to its free admission and location near major East Coast populations. The list generally follows this order: 1. Great Smoky Mountains, 2. Grand Canyon, 3. Zion, 4. Yellowstone, 5. Rocky Mountain, 6. Yosemite, 7. Acadia, 8. Grand Teton, 9. Joshua Tree, 10. Olympic, 11. Glacier, 12. Cuyahoga Valley, 13. Bryce Canyon, 14. Gateway Arch, and 15. Hot Springs. It is worth noting that "recreational visits" can be skewed by parks that serve as major thoroughfares (like the Blue Ridge Parkway, though technically a "Parkway" and not a "National Park"). Parks like Zion and Arches have implemented "Timed Entry" systems in 2026 to manage these massive crowds, so while they remain highly visited, the experience for individual guests is more regulated to prevent environmental degradation.

People Also Ask

The big 3 national parks: Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon.

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Utah is home to 5 of the best national parks—Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion—collectively known as the Mighty Five. Established between 1919 and 1971, these parks are famous for their spectacular red-rock formations, desert solitude, and more than 1,000 miles of hiking & trekking trails.

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The Grand Canyon is known for its breathtaking vistas and being one of the seven natural wonders of the world. A New York Post investigation recently found it is also the deadliest national park in the country, with the most number of missing persons in the nation.

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Top 10 most visited national parks
  • Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 12.94 million.
  • Grand Canyon National Park, 4.73 million.
  • Zion National Park, 4.69 million.
  • Rocky Mountain National Park, 4.30 million.
  • Acadia National Park, 3.97 million.
  • Yosemite National Park, 3.67 million.
  • Yellowstone National Park, 3.29 million.


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Yellowstone is the only national park shared by three states: Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Two other national parks lie in multiple states: Death Valley National Park (California and Nevada) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee and North Carolina).

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The New River Gorge was given National Park Service protection in 1978 as a national river, and was expanded to New River Gorge National Park & Preserve — this country's newest national park — in the plague year of 2020 courtesy of legislation drafted by Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito.

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That state is Missouri. The results from Sporcle's “US States Quiz” make it clear that Missouri is the most forgotten state. The quiz has been attempted by players more than 19 million times, and Missouri is the state the lowest percent of people guess correctly.

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With more than 400 miles of underground caves, Mammoth Cave National Park not only preserves a section of the Green River Valley and the hills of south central Kentucky, it also houses the world's largest explored cave system. It's a maze of carved rock holding thousands of years of history and stories of exploration.

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DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, CA Death Valley National Park is the largest Dark Sky designated area with a span of 13,700 square kilometers. Death Valley National Park is known as the hottest national park, so cool nighttime temperatures make stargazing sound even more appealing!

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Delaware is the only state in the country that does not have anational park, national monument, national historic site or anyother unit of the National Park Service.

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California has the most national parks with nine total in the state. The next state with the most parks is Alaska, which has eight national parks.

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