Most Visited National Parks in the United States

10. Bryce Canyon – 2.7 million 

With nearly 2.7 million visitors each year, Bryce Canyon is the seventh most visited National Park in the United States. It might be in the southwestern part of the state of Utah. The park is well-known for its hoodoos, which are a unique type of rock structure.

9. Joshua Tree – 3.0 million

California is home to Joshua Tree National Park. The park gets its name from a kind of tree that grows there and is only found in the Mojave Desert. Over 3 million individuals visit the park each year.

8. Glacier – 3.0 million

Glacier National Park is located in the far northwestern Rocky Mountains of Montana. The park is known for its size and cleanliness, and it is home to a wide range of animals. In truth, the majority of the creatures in the park have been there since its start. Regrettably, the vast bulk of the original glaciers have melted.

7. Olympic – 3.1 million visitors

Olympic National Park is located in the Pacific Northwest on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. The park, which receives around 3.4 million visitors each year, is divided into four major areas. Among these are the rocky Pacific Coast, temperate forest ecosystem, wildflower meadow, and sub-alpine forest area. The park features beautiful temperate rainforests, albeit the eastern part of the park receives less rain. The park has been recognized a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

6. Grand Teton – 3.4 million

Grand Teton National Park is in Wyoming, the country’s least populous state, and features breathtaking mountain beauty. The park is so beautiful that it attracts 3.4 million people each year. It is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest mid-latitude ecosystems on the planet. Many of the animal and plant species present in Grand Teton National Park date back to ancient times!

5. Yosemite – 4.0 million 

Yosemite National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, draws over 4 million tourists every year. Despite the park’s size of approximately 2,833 square kilometers, the bulk of visitors congregate in the 18 square kilometers that comprise Yosemite Valley. Archaeological finds have indicated that people have lived in the Valley for about 3,000 years, dating back to the Ahwahneechee ancient tribes. Yosemite National Park, located in California, is famous for its waterfalls. Another popular attraction is the Mariposa Grove, which comprises 500 big sequoias that might be up to 3,000 years old.

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4. Yellowstone – 4.1 million 

Yellowstone National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was founded in 1872 and was one of the first national parks in the United States. It now attracts around 4.1 million visitors every year. The park, which is mostly in Wyoming, is famous for its geothermal wonders, especially the Old Faithful Geyser. While parks are frequently thought of as peaceful havens of nature, Yellowstone has a more turbulent past. It stands on a massive subterranean volcano that has erupted three times in the previous 2 million years, altering the park’s and neighboring territories’ geographic topography. The volcano is a perpetual source of heat – and also a constant source of excitement for visitors who wonder when it will erupt next.

3. Rocky Mountain – 4.6 million 

The geographical splendor of the Rocky Mountains draws people to any neighboring park, such as Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, which attracts around 4.6 million visitors every year. Despite its small size of 1075 square kilometers, it is rich in natural diversity. The Earl of Dunraven (Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quinn) paid Rocky Mountain a visit in the nineteenth century. He went hunting in Estes Park (the town where the park’s headquarters are situated) in 1872 and returned for two years before deciding he had to have it. He obtained the land through legal (and maybe criminal) means in order to transform it into his own private hunting area. While things did not go well for him, he did establish the first lodge in the region, the now-defunct Estes Park Hotel, which paved the way for the park’s tourist sector. This is the country’s third most visited national park.

2. Grand Canyon – 6.4 million 

The Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona is one of the most well-known parks in the world, with over 6.4 million tourists every year. The park, which covers an area of 4,047 square kilometers, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. The Grand Canyon, a never-ending, breathtaking natural feature, is one of the most important attractions. Grand Canyon Village is a tiny full-service town within the park that offers everything from dining to housing to those who choose to remain within the park. This is the 2nd Most Visited National Parks in the United States.

1. Great Smoky Mountains – 11.4 million

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States. The Blue Ridge Mountains (part of the Appalachian Mountain range) may be found in the park, which is located on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. The park is popular with tourists due to its magnificent landscape and year-round enjoyment. It draws an astounding 11.4 million visits every year.