The Most Popular National Parks in the U.S.

Whether you’re looking to slowly drive past a bison herd, scale colossal mountain peaks, traverse craggy desert expanses, or just straight-up take a great bath, our great national parks have something for everyone. The most prevalent parks don’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon, and some are getting more crowded than ever.

Using the most recent data available, we've sifted through the 20 most popular national parks—which, in total, saw more than 300 million visitors last year—and listed them out for you to peruse as you plan your next road trip or outdoor adventure. It should be noted that this is not a list of the best national parks out of all 63, but rather a ranking of the most frequented in terms of tourists.

America’s least-visited and more obscure national parks are often quieter not because they’re less beautiful or interesting, but because they’re difficult to get to. (For example, 2023’s least-visited park, Alaska's Gates of the Arctic, would, hands-down, trounce many of the places on this list if it wasn’t so far north that, you know, polar bears were a serious issue.) Go ahead, make the trek to one of the country’s top scenic treasures and add to the statistics.

Virginia
Shenandoah National Park brought in an impressive 1.6 million visitors in 2023, landing it in the 20th spot on this list. Clearly, the fact that a former park ranger here holds the world record for being struck by lightning has not deterred fearless visitors from exploring the fantastic waterfall hikes or from traversing Skyline Drive, a 105-mile stretch of road that winds its way over the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering staggering views and a few scenic points that’ll take you above the cloudline. You can hike parts of the Appalachian Trail here, as well as a number of shorter, less exhausting routes (try the trails around Rose River or South River Falls).

Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the 19th most visited national park, drawing in 1.62 million visitors in 2023. Push aside from any fear about taking yourself to the site of one of the world’s most active volcanoes because there's plenty to love about this 523-square-mile park.

This expansive park is just smaller than the size of the nearby island O’ahu (597 square miles). From swaths of land at sea level to parts that stretch nearly 14,000 feet, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park contains not just one, but two of the world’s most active volcanoes. You’ll find plenty of blistering, burning lava fields, but stay awhile and explore rainforests, places where the coastline meets lava, deserts covered in volcanic ash, and even (shockingly) alpine tundra.

To catch a bit of the magic of the unique natural phenomenon found in the park, take a day hike on Devastation Trail. Visitors looking to give back to this national park during their visit can also take part in the weekly Stewardship at the Summit program.

Washington
The glaciers of Mount Rainier create an iconic backdrop for the Seattle skyline, an epic photobomb that easily steals the show from the Space Needle. The hiking options on this 14,410-foot peak are so challenging and diverse that aspiring Everest climbers use them for training. But don’t worry, you don’t need to be half mountain goat to trek across lava fields overgrown with a million shades of green, roam past waterfalls and glaciers, and, in the summertime, wander fields of truly spectacular wildflowers. You can also enjoy the sights from the comfort of your car with a drive up to the 6,400-foot Sunrise Point. Last year, Mount Rainier drew an impressive 1.7 million visitors, making it the country’s 18th most popular park.

West Virginia
Upgraded from its status as a national river at the tail end of 2020, New River Gorge National Park immediately vaulted itself into the top 20 and kept up that position with 1.7 million visitors last year. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, the park is a veritable Grand Canyon of the east, with a roaring whitewater river that zigzags through a gorge so green and lush it almost appears to glow. Here, you can embark on a mountain hike where panoramic views lie at every turn; defeat your fear of heights atop the iconic New River Gorge Bridge, the third-highest bridge in the US; or try an adrenaline-pumping rafting trip along the 53 miles of river accessible by raft and kayak. Just be prepared for super-soaked rapids as high as Class V.

Missouri
It’s certainly not the traditional national park experience at Gateway Arch National Park—there's no camping under a sky free of light pollution here. In fact, you won’t be camping at all at this cityside national park. But that doesn’t deter this park from attracting a whopping 2.4 million visitors a year.

Take advantage of the opportunities this national park smack dab in the center of St. Louis provides. Founded in 1935, this park might be relatively new compared to the age of the Grand Canyon or Rocky Mountains, but it’s nonetheless an interesting, architectural feat. It’s the tallest structure in the entire state of Missouri and is the site of many popular walking and biking paths for those wanting an outdoorsy fix.

Utah
Utah continues to brag with Bryce Canyon National Park, the 15th most-visited national park in the US with 2.4 million visitors in 2023. Routinely cited as one of the most beautiful places in America, this park contains a massive collection of natural amphitheaters, as well as spire-shaped tent rocks, which are some of the most distinctive geological features you’ll ever see in your life. Orange-tinted and whimsical, they resemble sky-scraping creamsicles when draped in snow. Speaking of which, Bryce Canyon hosts an annual four-day astronomy festival because the stargazing is incredible here, too—especially in winter. Other top views include those from Sunrise Point and Sunset Point, which, as you may have guessed, are best visited at sunrise and sunset.

Arkansas
First of all, we’d like to note that historic Hot Springs National Park—the 14th most-visited park of the year, with 2.5 million visitors—technically predates Yellowstone, which is widely credited as our oldest national park. A trip here affords the unique opportunity to take an old-timey bath, drink beer brewed with thermal water, and fuel up for a hike on Hot Springs Mountain with bacon cinnamon rolls in tow.

While you can’t bathe in the purportedly healing (but way too hot) waters of the eponymous hot springs, you can—and should—bathe at various establishments on the nearby Bathhouse Row. The ornate vintage tubs will have you feeling like a mobster in the Roaring Twenties, especially if you follow your soak with a drink at The Ohio Club, a saloon built in 1905 that was a popular watering hole for gangsters. Hot Springs is also the first national park to contain a brewery, one that made history as the first of its kind to make beer with thermal hot springs water. All of these more urban components make this one of the most accessible national parks in the country.

Indiana
When Indiana Dunes was upgraded from a national lakeshore to a national park in 2019, some folks scoffed: How could a beach bookended by power plants with the Chicago skyline looming in the distance be in the same category as Yellowstone? But consider that this sleeper hit—the 13th most popular park in the country, with 2.7 million visitors—boasts more biodiversity than not only Yellowstone, but almost all other national parks. Within Indiana Dunes’ 25 miles, you’ll discover a stunning array of terrains, from surprisingly steep dune hikes and pristine Lake Michigan shorefront to prairies, swamps, and marshy wetlands that look more Louisiana than Indiana. For nearby Chicagoans and Indiana residents in urban areas, the park is a welcome escape for hiking, camping, biking, swimming, kayaking, fishing, and, most of all, birdwatching: More than 350 avian species have been spotted here.

Ohio
It’s no Coachella Valley, but Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley is certainly skyrocketing in popularity these days, with 2.8 million tourists visiting last year. That’s a lot of people chasing waterfalls. Caves, forests, interesting rock formations, and waterfalls abound (Brandywine Falls is especially gorgeous), as do hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails and chances to canoe and kayak on the Cuyahoga River. The park is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2025, so this is your chance to take advantage of the over 125 miles of hiking trails before the big birthday celebration and potential overcrowding it could bring. You’ll definitely want to enjoy a ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, an old-fashioned train that roves through the heart of the park on themed excursions like wine tasting rides and murder mystery dinners

Montana
The Montana mecca that is Glacier National Park is impossibly scenic, but as you’ve probably heard, climate change is happening, and the park’s namesake glaciers are melting faster than an ice cream cone on a hot sidewalk. For the time being, though, there are still 25 active and beautiful glaciers in the park, which stretches beyond the US border and into Canada. Make sure you take a quintessential drive up Going-to-the-Sun Road. (Fun fact: This road is in the opening credits of The Shining, and, weirdly enough, this won’t be the only Shining reference on this list.) Despite visitors jumping from 1.7 million people in 2020 to 3.1 million in 2021, by 2023, the park attracted a happy medium of 2.9 million people. The numbers are still impressive, but the park has fallen out of a top 10 spot.

Washington
The hallmark of America’s 10th most-visited park (with 2.9 million annual explorers) is its biodiversity. Along with some of the country’s best hiking trails, don’t miss the ultra-vibrant green of the Hoh Rainforest, the only temperate rainforest in the contiguous United States. From there, you can also reach the absolutely colossal, 2.6-mile-long Blue Glacier. Throw on some water shoes and go tide-pooling at Kalaloch’s Beach or the Hole in the Wall; pop a squat by the royal-blue Lake Crescent and watch for otters; and, if you visit in winter, go for a ride down the slopes of Hurricane Ridge.

California
Joshua Tree National Park is so ubiquitous as a Coachella-related destination, it’s easy to forget that it's more than just one big Instagram thirst trap. Long known as a weekend getaway for college kids from LA and celebrities with second homes in Palm Springs, Joshua Tree seems to become more and more beloved every year—as evidenced by its 3.2 million visitors in 2023, many of whom flock to the impressive rock faces for climbing or hit the trails to hike amongst the park’s namesake twisted trees. The dry, arid desert is also home to 501 archaeological sites, a quirky town of the same name, and eclectic goodies like UFO-shaped homes and ghost towns-turned-music venues. And camping among the rugged geological features—to say nothing of the stargazing—is something everyone should do at least once in their life.

Wyoming
When you practically share a border with Yellowstone, you’re bound to get overshadowed a bit. But if Yellowstone is the Beyoncé of national parks, Grand Teton National Park is at least the Kelly Rowland. Sure, it might not have the distinctive hydrothermal features of Wyoming’s star park, but its scenic elements—mountains, waterfalls, lakes, fall foliage, glaciers—are every bit as enthralling, not to mention way less crowded (3.4 million visitors in 2023, making it the eighth most-visited). You can catch a boat ride across Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls (or hike around the lake—it’s flat, easy, and gorgeous). For a more immersive trek, take a raft tour of the meandering Snake River, where whitewater rapids and cutthroat trout fishing are popular. Plus, the park benefits from its proximity to the bucolic Jackson Hole, where skiing and top-notch restaurants abound.

Maine
The oldest national park east of the Mississippi (and the largest tourist attraction in Maine), Acadia National Park has the bonus of being in close proximity to very charming New England towns. When not obscured by the thick fog that can roll in at a moment’s notice, the park’s top-shelf views include Somes Sound, Frenchman Bay, Jordan Pond, and Cadillac Mountain, the tallest peak in the park and the first place in the US to see sunlight each morning. It has 125 miles of hiking trails, most of which are dog-friendly, not to mention serene campgrounds and some surprisingly underrated beaches. If you visit in the summer months, hit historic Jordan Pond House for a popover, and hang out in nearby Bar Harbor, where lobster rolls are as omnipresent as churros in Disney World. Acadia was our seventh most-visited national park of 2023, with 3.8 million visitors.

California
The fact that YosemiteNational Park isn’t the number one most-visited park might come as a shock. Maybe it’s the crowds or that pesky reservation system. But Yosemite ranked as the sixth most-visited park last year, with 3.8 million visitors in 2023.

There’s cultural fun like the Sierra Art Trails. You can climb, you can hike, you can stargaze, you can swim in or raft down the Merced River. There’s El Capitan, the largest slab of granite in the world, which won’t grab you as a notable superlative until you see it for yourself. There’s utterly-staggering Half Dome, scenic Glacier Point, and Yosemite Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America. And, to take in the park's majesty all at once, just make a stop at Tunnel View, a vantage point from which you can see almost all the highlights simultaneously.

Colorado
Visiting the fifth most popular national park is an essential Colorado experience. At Rocky Mountain National Park, you’ll find bugling elk, some of the most epic hikes on the continent, and even the hotel that inspired The Shining (we told you it was coming!). You must drive the “Highway to the Sky,” the highest continuous paved road in the country, which will take you above the treeline into Alpine Tundra, a virtually flora-free landscape so elevated, you’ll feel like you’re on the very top of the Earth.

Visit all the little Rocky Mountain towns; go for an overnight camping trip; spot wildlife like porcupines, pikas, moose, and the occasional mountain lion—if you’re lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it). Split by the Continental Divide, which dictates the direction in which rainwater will flow, the western side of the park is more lush and green, while the eastern side is arid, scrubby, and more mountainous. There are a whopping 150 lakes (really!) and 359 hiking trails within this park, plus more than 60 mountain peaks above 12,000 feet. No wonder some 4.4 million people flocked here last year.

Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
Yellowstone National Park was 2023's fourth most visited national park with 4.59 million guests—and for good reason: There are really no words to properly describe the mesmerizing beauty of this wild place. But hey, we’ll try.

Yellowstone boasts peerless geological features you’ll find nowhere else on Earth: kaleidoscopic hot springs as colorful as a Lisa Frank folder; enormous, cascading waterfalls; geysers so popular they command crowds as energetic as mosh pits; and the largest high-elevation lake in North America. Larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined, this colossal park overwhelms with things to do and see, including some of America’s most intimidating wildlife, like bison, wolves, and grizzly bears. The cherry on top? It’s also wonderfully accessible to all manner of explorers since many of the park’s most iconic attractions can be enjoyed on a scenic drive.

Utah
Zion National Park’s visitation numbers have ballooned in recent years: In 2023, it clocked in as the third-most-visited national park with 4.6 million visitors. That being said, you might be wondering why such a fan-favorite park is ranked so early on this list. Nothing against the all-consuming majesty of this place—the park is so otherworldly that it was modestly renamed after the City of God—it’s just that Utah’s most popular park can be frustratingly crowded, fairly inaccessible, and relatively limited in terms of activities.

Still, backcountry hikers and climbers come here for The Subway, a nine-plus-mile hike that can involve rappelling. The slot canyons here, set off by rust-red rocks and waterfalls (don’t miss Weeping Rock), are undeniably iconic, and Angels Landing is one of the most universally recognized hikes in the US (though please watch your footing). Really, the key to enjoying Zion is to find moments when the crowds have thinned, whether that means visiting during winter or simply checking out the park’s lesser-known hikes.

Arizona
Despite the fact that the Grand Canyon is also one of seven natural wonders of the world, its visitation numbers have taken a hit over the past few years—down to 4.7 million in 2023, making it the second most-visited park. Despite missing the top spot, there’s no denying the unparalleled awe of this place. Take a Grand Canyon via Las Vegas tour, try out the park's insane zip line, raft some of the world’s most challenging rapids on the Colorado River, or just take in the view from the Skywalk observation deck. And, if you’re really looking for a challenge, head down to the canyon floor to complete a multi-day hike from one rim of the park to the other—a 24-mile journey.

Tennessee, North Carolina
Great Smoky Mountains National Park regularly secures the No. 1 spot for visitation, and this past year was no exception. More than 13 million visitors (that’s more than the population of Belgium, for reference) came here, making it the most-visited park in the country. Those numbers are inflated by a few different factors: It’s located near several sizable cities and notable attractions (Dollywood!), so people tend to pass through on their way to somewhere else. Oh, and entry also happens to be free.

Convenience aside, you could do a lot worse than this vast Appalachian wonderland, which teems with wildlife and epic sunset/sunrise vistas. The Clingmans Dome observation tower offers incredible panoramic views of the whole mountain range, and there are a ton of swimming holes scattered throughout. To really cap things off, you can pick your fill of wild strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and loads of other lesser-known berries while you’re hiking around.

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