Half dome at sunset seen from Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park

These are the 10 most popular national parks

More than 300 million visitors explored America’s national parks last year, from Acadia in Maine to Zion in Utah.

California’s Yosemite National Park draws more than three million visitors each year to its iconic landscapes, including the towering granite monolith, Half Dome. Based on visitation numbers, this national park is among the 10 most popular in the U.S.  
Photograph by Andrew Coleman, Nat Geo Image Collection
ByNational Geographic Staff
May 09, 2022
9 min read

Since the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) started keeping records in 1904, its mountain landscapes, seaside wildernesses, and high desert acres have registered more than 15 billion visits. Although global tourism plummeted as a result of COVID-19 shutdowns, 2021 saw record crowds at some of the best-known parks. Straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park passed 14 million recreation visits; more than 5 million people took in the stunning sandstone formations of Utah’s Zion National Park.

Visitors are drawn to the vastness and variety of “America’s best idea.” From sea to shining sea (as well as in the wilds of Alaska and Hawaii), the NPS’s 85 million acres encompass 85,000 miles of rivers and streams; 7,035 square miles of reservoirs, lakes, or ocean; more than 43,000 miles of shoreline; and over 18,000 miles of trails. 

(Go wild, and skip the crowds, at these 7 spectacular parks.)

These 10 parks are the superstars of the system, but they offer just a glimpse of the variety to be found in the 423 park units (including 63 national parks) of the NPS.

“It’s wonderful to see so many Americans continuing to find solace and inspiration in these incredible places during the second year of the pandemic,” said Chuck Sams, director of NPS. “We’re happy to see so many visitors returning to iconic parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, but there are hundreds more that should be on everyone’s bucket list. Whatever experience you’re looking for in 2022, national parks are here to discover.”

Zoom in to see more of the national parks mentioned in the article.
Sunrise shines on the Garden Wall, a spine of rock shaped by Ice Age glaciers, in Glacier National Park
10. Glacier National ParkIn 2021, 3 million people came to see the stunning (but shrinking) ice masses that give Montana’s Glacier National Park its name. The park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road, with its twisting turns and spectacular mountain views, is one of the world’s most dazzling drives.
Photograph by Keith Ladzinski, Nat Geo Image Collection
A person stands atop remnants of a former observation deck sit in the water of Lake Michigan in Indiana Dunes National Park
9. Indiana Dunes National ParkLess than an hour’s drive from Chicago, Indiana Dunes National Park is a protected habitat for nearly 1,130 native plants within a landscape of sandy lakeshores and wetlands. It became the country’s 61st national park in 2019.
Photograph by Keith Ladzinski, Nat Geo Image Collection
Ski mountaineers in Garnet Canyon in Grand Teton National Park
8. Grand Teton National ParkThe peaks of the Teton Range, regal and imposing, soar nearly 7,000 feet above the Wyoming valley floor, making them some of the boldest geological statements in the Rockies. Grand Teton National Park’s jewellike lakes, blue and white glaciers, and naked granite pinnacles enticed 3.9 million visitors in 2021.
Photograph by Jimmy Chin, Nat Geo Image Collection
Bass Harbor Head lighthouse in Acadia National Park
7. Acadia National ParkSea and mountain meet at Acadia National Park in Maine. Most of the park is on Mount Desert Island, a patchwork of parkland, private property, and waterside villages.
Photograph by Richard Olsenius, Nat Geo Image Collection
Lunar rainbow moonbow with reflection at Yosemite Falls in Yosemite National Park
6. Yosemite National Park“No temple made with human hands can compete with Yosemite,” wrote John Muir, whose crusading led to the creation of California’s Yosemite National Park in 1890. More than 3 million visitors come to this temple of granite cliffs and towering waterfalls annually. Most spend time in the Yosemite Valley, a mile-wide, seven-mile-long canyon that cut by a river and then widened and deepened by glacial action.
Photograph by Andrew Coleman, Nat Geo Image Collection
A herd of bison in Yellowstone National Park's Hayden Valley
5. Yellowstone National ParkYellowstone National Park—the world’s first national park—was visited by 4.9 million people in 2021. The vast reserve—covering 2.2 million acres in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana—has craggy peaks, explosive geysers, alpine lakes, deep forests, and a wealth of wild animals. The stars are bison, bears, sheep, moose, and wolves.
Photograph by Michael K. Nichols, Nat Geo Image Collection
4. Zion National ParkRising in Utah’s high plateau country, the Virgin River carves its way through Zion Canyon to the desert below. Zion National Park’s striking vertical topography—rock towers, sandstone canyons, and sharp cliffs—attracted 5 million visitors in 2021.
Photograph by , Nat Geo Image Collection
Aerial view of Colorado River headwaters in the Rocky Mountains
3. Rocky Mountain National ParkSweeping alpine vistas attracted 4.4 million visitors to Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park in 2021. The park contains 150 lakes and 450 miles of streams, plus ecosystems ranging from wetlands to pine forests to montane areas to alpine tundra.
Photograph by Peter McBride, Nat Geo Image Collection
Clouds in the Grand Canyon
2. Grand Canyon National ParkIn 2021, Grand Canyon National Park attracted 4.5 million people to witness one of the largest canyons on Earth, which is a mile deep and up to 18 miles wide at some points. Explore it by hiking, mule riding, or rafting in the mighty Colorado River.
Photograph by Peter McBride, Nat Geo Image Collection
1. Great Smoky Mountains National ParkMore than 14 million visitors went to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2021. Travelers can explore its misty peaks and waterfall-filled valleys via a mountain-skimming scenic highway or by taking to 800-plus miles of hiking trails stretching across North Carolina and Tennessee.
Photograph by Gerd Ludwig, Nat Geo Image Collection
This article is updated yearly with new information.
Hike with us: National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated maps highlight the best places for hiking, camping, boating, paddling, and wildlife viewing in North America’s rugged frontiers and urban fringes. Created in partnership with local land management agencies, these expertly researched maps deliver unmatched detail and helpful information to guide experienced outdoor enthusiasts and casual visitors alike. Click here for maps of National Parks.

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