The canyon glows orange as people visit Mather Point, a rock outcropping that juts into Grand Canyon
National Parks 32 parks Updated March 2026

Most Visited National Parks

Photo: NPS/M.Quinn
32
Parks
20
States
9
Free Entry
Grand Canyon
#1 Most Visited

Quick answer: Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited US national park with 11.5 million visitors in 2025. It has held the top spot for decades, partly because it charges no entrance fee and sits within a day's drive of one-third of the US population.

The National Park Service recorded 323 million recreation visits in 2025, the sixth-highest total in history. Great Smoky Mountains National Park remained far ahead of every other park — its 11.5 million visitors is more than double the second-place park. The top five are consistently the same names: Smoky Mountains, Zion, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite, together accounting for nearly 30 million of those visits.

Map

Most Visited National Parks

# Park Visitors (2023)
1
—
2
≈ 4 million (2023)
3
≈ 4 million (2023)
4
≈ 3.4 million (2023)
5
≈ 2.9 million (2023)
6
≈ 2.9 million (2023)
7
≈ 2.2 million (2023)
8
≈ 1.6 million (2023)
9
≈ 1.6 million (2023)
10
≈ 1.8 million (2023)
11
≈ 1.5 million (2023)
12
≈ 1.2 million (2023)
13
≈ 1.2 million (2023)
14
≈ 1.1 million (2023)
15
≈ 1.1 million (2023)
16
≈ 840K (2023)
17
≈ 784K (2023)
18
≈ 700K (2023)
19
≈ 686K (2023)
20
≈ 601K (2023)
21
≈ 565K (2023)
22
≈ 519K (2023)
23
≈ 506K (2023)
24
≈ 516K (2023)
25
≈ 441K (2023)
26
≈ 433K (2023)
27
Virgin Islands National Park
U.S. Virgin Islands
 ≈ 374K (2023)
28
≈ 360K (2023)
29
≈ 249K (2023)
30
≈ 217K (2023)
31
≈ 60K (2023)
32
≈ 81K (2023)

Top 10 — Most Visited National Parks

1.

Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona · Southwest

Key Facts

Established
1919
Area
1,201,647 acres
Entry fee
$35/vehicle

Grand Canyon National Park in northwestern Arizona, established February 26, 1919, preserves a 277-mile gorge carved by the Colorado River — over a mile deep and up to 18 miles wide — whose layered walls expose 1.7 billion years of Earth's geological history and rank it among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Read more about Grand Canyon National Park
3.

Olympic National Park

Washington · West

Key Facts

Established
1938
Area
922,650 acres
Visitors / yr
≈ 4 million (2023)
Entry fee
$30/vehicle

Olympic National Park in Washington State protects 922,650 acres across three distinct ecosystems — temperate rainforest, glaciated alpine peaks, and 73 miles of Pacific coastline — making it the 6th most visited national park in the United States. Established in 1938, the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the largest unmanaged Roosevelt elk herd on Earth.

Read more about Olympic National Park
4.

Grand Teton National Park

Wyoming · Rockies

Key Facts

Established
1929
Area
310,044 acres
Visitors / yr
≈ 3.4 million (2023)
Entry fee
$35/vehicle

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming was established in 1929 to protect the Teton Range and expanded in 1950 to include Jackson Hole valley, reaching its current 310,044 acres — the 9th most visited national park in the United States, with Jackson Hole Airport the only commercial airport inside any U.S. national park.

Read more about Grand Teton National Park
5.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Ohio · Midwest

Key Facts

Established
2000
Area
32,572 acres
Visitors / yr
≈ 2.9 million (2023)
Entry fee
Free

Cuyahoga Valley National Park protects 32,572 acres of river valley in northeastern Ohio between Cleveland and Akron, established in 2000 and drawing roughly 2.9 million visitors a year. The park preserves the Ohio and Erie Canal corridor, the Cuyahoga River floodplain, and the heritage railroad line that runs 22 miles through the valley.

Read more about Cuyahoga Valley National Park
6.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established
1928
Area
35,835 acres
Visitors / yr
≈ 2.9 million (2023)
Entry fee
$35/vehicle

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah sits atop the Paunsaugunt Plateau at 8,000 to 9,115 feet elevation, protecting the world's largest concentration of hoodoos — orange and white limestone spires carved by frost; established in 1928, the park draws about 2.9 million visitors a year.

Read more about Bryce Canyon National Park
8.

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

West Virginia · Southeast

Key Facts

Established
2020
Area
70,814 acres
Visitors / yr
≈ 1.6 million (2023)
Entry fee
Free

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve in West Virginia covers 70,814 acres along one of North America's oldest rivers and became the country's 63rd national park in December 2020. Entry is free, and the gorge reaches depths of 1,300 feet beneath the longest steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

Read more about New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
9.

Mount Rainier National Park

Washington · West

Key Facts

Established
1899
Area
236,381 acres
Visitors / yr
≈ 1.6 million (2023)
Entry fee
$30/vehicle

Mount Rainier National Park protects 236,381 acres of Washington's Cascade Range centered on an active stratovolcano that rises to 14,410 feet and carries more glacier ice than any other peak in the contiguous United States. Twenty-six named glaciers drape the mountain, and five major river systems originate from its flanks. The park was established in 1899 as the fifth national park in the United States and draws about 1.6 million visitors per year. Subalpine meadows at Paradise erupt in wildflower bloom each July and August, producing one of the most photographed mountain landscapes in the country.

Read more about Mount Rainier National Park

Showing 10 of 32 parks. · See full list above ↑