CHRISTIANSTED — That surge in national park interest in recent years? It isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
In 2023, the National Park Service (NPS) saw nearly 325.5 million visits across its 400 diverse sites. That includes everywhere from parkways to national parks to monuments. In total, it’s a 4 percent increase, or about 13 million visits, over 2022.
While the big-name national parks garner the most attention, they only account for 28 percent of the total visitation at NPS sites. The Blue Ridge Parkway, for instance, has more visits at 16.75 million than any single national park.
However, national parks are seen as the crown jewel of the NPS. This year, there’s a familiar name at the top of the list. Great Smokey Mountains National Park took the title of most visited national park in 2023 with 13.29 million visits. The park has been perennially popular, as it lies within a one-day drive of half the U.S. population. It’s also one of the few national parks that doesn’t charge an entry fee.
Fort Christiansvaern in Christiansted on St. Croix
Located in both Tennessee and North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recognized as “the most biodiverse park in the National Park system,” and spans over 800 square miles.
Here is the full list of the top 10 national parks:
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park (13.29 million)
- Grand Canyon National Park (4.73 million)
- Zion National Park (4.62 million)
- Yellowstone National Park (4.50 million)
- Rocky Mountain National Park (4.11 million)
- Yosemite National Park (3.89 million)
- Acadia National Park (3.87 million)
- Grand Teton National Park (3.41 million)
- Joshua Tree National Park (3.27 million)
- Olympic National Park (2.94 million)
Making it on the most popular list this year, Joshua Tree National Park and Olympic National Park knocked off both Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio and Glacier in Montana.
By CHRIS DONG/Travel & Leisure
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