U.S. National Parks Ranking by State | Most Visited Parks (2024)

Published Sep 13, 2024 · Updated Apr 9, 2026

The United States is home to 63 national parks, each offering unique landscapes, ecosystems, and recreational activities. Read on for a comprehensive breakdown of the U.S. national parks based on 2025 recreational visits, park size, and safety records.

Note: Current calendar year data are preliminary and subject to change.

Top U.S. National Parks by Recreation Visits (2025)

What was the most visited U.S. national park in 2025?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park consistently ranks as the most visited national park in the United States. In 2025, it welcomed 11.53 million visitors.

The park is located on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee.
Learn more about which states have the most national parks here.

What was the least visited U.S. national park in 2025?

The Kobuk Valley National Park, located in northwestern Alaska, holds the title of the least visited national park, welcoming exactly 7,786 visitors in 2025.

Rank	Park	Recreation Visits	% of Total
1	Great Smoky Mountains NP	11,527,939	12.28%
2	Zion NP	4,984,525	5.31%
3	Yellowstone NP	4,762,988	5.07%
4	Grand Canyon NP	4,430,653	4.72%
5	Yosemite NP	4,278,413	4.56%
6	Rocky Mountain NP	4,171,431	4.44%
7	Acadia NP	4,079,318	4.34%
8	Grand Teton NP	3,800,648	4.05%
9	Olympic NP	3,584,187	3.82%
10	Glacier NP	3,136,557	3.34%
11	Cuyahoga Valley NP	3,025,325	3.22%
12	Joshua Tree NP	2,932,644	3.12%
13	Indiana Dunes NP	2,629,497	2.80%
14	Hot Springs NP	2,494,611	2.66%
15	Gateway Arch NP	2,209,028	2.35%
16	Bryce Canyon NP	1,967,367	2.10%
17	New River Gorge NP & PRES	1,958,440	2.09%
18	Hawaii Volcanoes NP	1,877,854	2.00%
19	Shenandoah NP	1,682,152	1.79%
20	Mount Rainier NP	1,635,342	1.74%
21	Arches NP	1,511,740	1.61%
22	Capitol Reef NP	1,388,476	1.48%
23	Sequoia NP	1,378,337	1.47%
24	Death Valley NP	1,320,134	1.41%
25	Redwood NP	1,202,480	1.28%
26	Badlands NP	1,139,361	1.21%
27	Haleakala NP	853,711	0.91%
28	Saguaro NP	847,749	0.90%
29	Canyonlands NP	796,057	0.85%
30	Kings Canyon NP	779,791	0.83%
31	Everglades NP	778,198	0.83%
32	Glacier Bay NP & PRES	740,044	0.79%
33	Theodore Roosevelt NP	729,893	0.78%
34	Mammoth Cave NP	660,734	0.70%
35	White Sands NP	659,742	0.70%
36	Crater Lake NP	632,242	0.67%
37	Wind Cave NP	606,258	0.65%
38	Big Bend NP	568,104	0.61%
39	Denali NP & PRES	543,300	0.58%
40	Lassen Volcanic NP	504,777	0.54%
41	Biscayne NP	486,567	0.52%
42	Virgin Islands NP	471,074	0.50%
43	Mesa Verde NP	463,130	0.49%
44	Great Sand Dunes NP & PRES	432,498	0.46%
45	Kenai Fjords NP	425,369	0.45%
46	Carlsbad Caverns NP	410,778	0.44%
47	Pinnacles NP	343,208	0.37%
48	Petrified Forest NP	315,951	0.34%
49	Congaree NP	287,833	0.31%
50	Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP	250,086	0.27%
51	Channel Islands NP	227,186	0.24%
52	Guadalupe Mountains NP	206,423	0.22%
53	Voyageurs NP	206,326	0.22%
54	Great Basin NP	161,210	0.17%
55	Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES	108,840	0.12%
56	Dry Tortugas NP	89,355	0.10%
57	North Cascades NP	46,925	0.05%
58	National Park of American Samoa	43,258	0.05%
59	Katmai NP & PRES	34,479	0.04%
60	Isle Royale NP	29,091	0.03%
61	Lake Clark NP & PRES	19,778	0.02%
62	Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES	14,923	0.02%
63	Kobuk Valley NP	7,786	0.01%

2025 Camper Distribution in the U.S. National Parks by Type

In 2025, U.S. National Parks saw 93.89 million recreation visits in total. Out of those, more than 9.17 million visitors chose to camp.

In 2025, the most popular types of camping in the U.S. National Parks were lodging using concessionaires (2.88 million), followed by tent campers (2.32 million).

Pie chart: Campers in U.S. National Parks by type, 2025 — Concessionaire Lodging 31.4%, Tent Campers 25.3%, RV Campers 17.6%, Backcountry 13.0%, Concessionaire Camping 12.7%. — Campers in the U.S. National Parks by Type in 2025.

Which U.S. National Park had the most tent campers in 2025?

Yosemite National Park leads with the highest number of tent campers in 2025, totalling 439,233 campers.
This was followed by Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Joshua Tree National Park.

Horizontal bar chart of top U.S. National Parks for tent campers in 2025; Yosemite leads at 439,233. — Top U.S. National Parks for Tent Campers in 2025.

Which U.S. National Park had the most RV campers?

In 2025, Yosemite National Park had the most RV campers among U.S. National Parks, with a total of 264,908 campers.
This was followed again by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which accommodated 141,354 RV campers.

Horizontal bar chart of top U.S. National Parks for RV campers in 2025; Yosemite leads at 264,908. — Top U.S. National Parks for RV Campers in 2025.

Which U.S. National Park had the most backcountry campers in 2025?

The Grand Canyon National Park recorded the highest number of backcountry campers among U.S. National Parks, with a total of 163,351 in 2025.
This was followed by Yosemite National Park, which had 139,743 backcountry campers.

Horizontal bar chart of top U.S. National Parks for backcountry campers in 2025; Grand Canyon leads at 163,351. — Top U.S. National Parks for Backcountry Campers in 2025.

U.S. National Parks by Size

What is the largest National Park in the U.S.?

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the largest national park in the United States. The park is located in Alaska, covering an area of 13.2 million acres (53,320 square kilometres).

Which U.S. National Park is the smallest in size?

Gateway Arch National Park is the smallest national park in the United States. The park is located in St. Louis, Missouri and spans just 91 acres (0.14 square miles or 0.37 square kilometres).

Rank	National Park	State	Acres	Comparable Country, State or Island
1	Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES	Alaska	8,323,146.48	Moldova
2	Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES	Alaska	7,523,897.40	Maryland
3	Denali NP & PRES	Alaska	4,740,911.16	Slovenia
4	Katmai NP & PRES	Alaska	3,674,529.33	Connecticut
5	Death Valley NP	California, Nevada	3,373,063.14	Montenegro
6	Glacier Bay NP & PRES	Alaska	3,223,383.43	Montenegro
7	Lake Clark NP & PRES	Alaska	2,619,816.49	Lebanon
8	Yellowstone NP	Wyoming, Montana, Idaho	2,219,790.71	Puerto Rico
9	Kobuk Valley NP	Alaska	1,750,716.16	Palestine
10	Everglades NP	Florida	1,400,539.30	Delaware
11	Grand Canyon NP	Arizona	1,201,647.03	Trinidad and Tobago
12	Glacier NP	Montana	1,013,125.99	Cape Verde
13	Olympic NP	Washington	922,649.41	Rhode Island
14	Big Bend NP	Texas	801,163.21	Iturup Island (Russia)
15	Joshua Tree NP	California	790,635.74	Makira (Solomon Islands)
16	Yosemite NP	California	761,747.50	Zemlya Georga Island (Russia)
17	Kenai Fjords NP	Alaska	669,650.05	Unalaska Island (Alaska)
18	Isle Royale NP	Michigan	571,790.30	Luxembourg
19	Great Smoky Mountains NP	Tennessee, North Carolina	522,426.88	Alor Island (Indonesia )
20	North Cascades NP	Washington	504,780.94	Mauritius
21	Kings Canyon NP	California	461,901.20	Comoros
22	Sequoia NP	California	404,062.63	Åland Islands (Finland)
23	Canyonlands NP	Utah	337,597.83	Faroe Islands (Denmark)
24	Hawaiʻi Volcanoes NP	Hawaii	323,431.38	Lougheed Island (Canada)
25	Grand Teton NP	Wyoming	310,044.22	Mill Island (Antarctica)
26	Rocky Mountain NP	Colorado	265,795.20	Tahiti (French Polynesia)
27	Channel Islands NP	California	249,561.00	Hiiumaa (Estonia)
28	Badlands NP	South Dakota	242,755.94	São Tomé and Príncipe
29	Capitol Reef NP	Utah	241,904.50	São Tomé and Príncipe
30	Mount Rainier NP	Washington	236,381.64	São Tomé and Príncipe
31	Petrified Forest NP	Arizona	221,390.21	Turks and Caicos Islands
32	Voyageurs NP	Minnesota	218,200.15	Attu Island (Alaska)
33	Shenandoah NP	Virginia	199,217.77	Kiribati
34	Crater Lake NP	Oregon	183,224.05	Tonga
35	Biscayne NP	Florida	172,971.11	Federated States of Micronesia
36	Zion NP	Utah	147,237.02	Saint Lucia
37	White Sands NP	New Mexico	146,344.31	Saint Lucia
38	Redwood NP	California	138,999.37	Guam (United States)
39	Great Sand Dunes NP & PRES	Colorado	107,341.87	Curaçao (Netherlands)
40	Lassen Volcanic NP	California	106,589.02	Antigua and Barbuda
41	Saguaro NP	Arizona	91,715.72	Jan Mayen (Norway)
42	Guadalupe Mountains NP	Texas	86,367.10	Grenada
43	Great Basin NP	Nevada	77,180.00	Malta
44	Arches NP	Utah	76,678.98	Maldives
45	New River Gorge NP & PRES	West Virginia	72,186.49	Caribbean island (Saint Kitts)
46	Theodore Roosevelt NP	North Dakota	70,446.89	Bonaire (Netherlands)
47	Dry Tortugas NP	Florida	64,701.22	Saint Kitts and Nevis
48	Mammoth Cave NP	Kentucky	54,011.91	Sauvie Island (Oregon)
49	Mesa Verde NP	Colorado	52,485.17	Pine Island (Florida)
50	Acadia NP	Maine	49,075.26	American Samoa (United States)
51	Carlsbad Caverns NP	New Mexico	46,766.45	Washington, D.C
52	Bryce Canyon NP	Utah	35,835.08	Wallis and Futuna (France)
53	Wind Cave NP	South Dakota	33,970.84	Christmas Island (Australia)
54	Haleakalā NP	Hawaii	33,264.62	Christmas Island (Australia)
55	Cuyahoga Valley NP	Ohio	32,572.24	Vieques (Puerto Rico)
56	Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP	Colorado	30,780.76	Jersey (United Kingdom)
57	Pinnacles NP	California	26,685.73	Montserrat (United Kingdom)
58	Congaree NP	South Carolina	26,539.22	Montserrat (United Kingdom)
59	Indiana Dunes NP	Indiana	15,067.00	Nauru
60	Virgin Islands NP	United States Virgin Islands	14,940.00	San Marino
61	American Samoa NP	American Samoa	8,256.67	Macau (China)
62	Hot Springs NP	Arkansas	5,548.01	Tuvalu
63	Gateway Arch NP	Missouri	90.90	Vatican City

Other Resources

U.S. National Parks by Mortality Count

Which National Parks are the most dangerous?

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona (216 deaths), Yosemite National Park in California (189 deaths), and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (150 deaths) are the national parks with the highest mortality counts from 2007 to August 2024.

Common causes of fatalities include falls, drowning, and environmental exposure. The rugged terrain and high visitor numbers at these parks contribute to the higher accident rates.

What are the safest National Parks in the U.S.?

Some parks like Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park and Glacier Bay National Park report zero visitor deaths.

These parks typically have easier terrain and lower visitation numbers, which contribute to their safety records.

RV rental in the USA

Rank	Park	Mortality Count (2007 to August 2024)
1	Grand Canyon National Park	216
2	Yosemite National Park	189
3	Great Smoky Mountains National Park	150
4	Yellowstone National Park	84
5	Mount Rainier National Park	82
6	Rocky Mountain National Park	77
7	Grand Teton National Park	73
8	Death Valley National Park	70
9	Olympic National Park	56
10	Zion National Park	55
11	Glacier National Park	53
12	Shenandoah National Park	48
13	Virgin Islands National Park	41
14	Cuyahoga Valley National Park	40
15	Big Bend National Park	35
16	Indiana Dunes National Park	32
17	Joshua Tree National Park	31
18	Acadia National Park	30
19	Canyonlands National Park	27
20	North Cascades National Park	27
21	Biscayne National Park	20
22	Saguaro National Park	19
23	Everglades National Park	18
24	Hawaii Volcanoes National Park	17
25	Arches National Park	15
26	Haleakala National Park	15
27	Channel Islands National Park	15
28	Mammoth Cave National Park	12
29	Crater Lake National Park	10
30	Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park	9
31	Capitol Reef National Park	8
32	Bryce Canyon National Park	7
33	White Sands National Park	7
34	Guadalupe Mountains National Park	7
35	Dry Tortugas National Park	7
36	Hot Springs National Park	6
37	Badlands National Park	6
38	Mesa Verde National Park	5
39	Lassen Volcanic National Park	5
40	Pinnacles National Park	5
41	Wind Cave National Park	4
42	Carlsbad Caverns National Park	4
43	Voyageurs National Park	4
44	Theodore Roosevelt National Park	2
45	Great Basin National Park	2
46	Isle Royale National Park	2
47	Gateway Arch National Park	1
48	Petrified Forest National Park	1
49	Congaree National Park	1
50	New River Gorge National Park & PRES	0
51	Sequoia National Park	0
52	Glacier Bay National Park & PRES	0
53	Kings Canyon National Park	0
54	Great Sand Dunes National Park & PRES	0
55	Denali National Park & PRES	0
56	Redwood National Park	0
57	Kenai Fjords National Park	0
58	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & PRES	0
59	Katmai National Park & PRES	0
60	Kobuk Valley National Park	0
61	Lake Clark National Park & PRES	0
62	National Park of American Samoa	0
63	Gates of the Arctic National Park & PRES	0

References

National Park Annual Visitation · irma.nps.gov