The entire year of 2021 seemed crazy and unpredictable, but millions of people still looked for solace in nature, leading to some seriously crowded national parks. Are you curious which ones were the busiest? Which were the least visited? You might be able to avoid the crowds this summer, if you’re willing to trek to the Arctic, that is. Who’s up for an adventure? I’ve heard it’s stunningly beautiful!
(These numbers are brought to you by the National Park Service, and I’m only including those NPS units officially classified as national parks, not monuments or other types of sites. The most visited site of all was actually the Blue Ridge Parkway at 15.9 million visits. Yikes!)
Busiest
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 14.1 million visits.
- Zion National Park, 5 million.
- Yellowstone National Park, 4.9 million.
- Grand Canyon National Park, 4.5 million.
- Rocky Mountain National Park, 4.4 million.
Least Crowded
- Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, 7,362
- National Park of American Samoa, 8,495
- Kobuk Valley National Park, 11,540
- North Cascades National Park, 17,855
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, 18,278
Did any of these surprise you? I’m trying to figure out why Washington’s North Cascades National Park has such low visitation. That’s one I’ve always wanted to see, and it only takes a few hours to drive there from Seattle. My family is hoping to visit this summer–so we’ll add a few numbers to their count for 2022.
So, which of the national parks would you most like to visit this year?
