The spectacular US National Parks continue to grow in popularity, with data revealing a record, more than 331 visitors across the nation in 2024. Each park has its own spectacular features for visitors to enjoy and is 2 percent higher than the figures for 2023, which was 325.5 million. Moreover, in 2023 NPS reported that visitors had generated $55.6 billion in national economic output. With the high number of visitors in 2024, will the national parks continue to attract millions of visitors?

Most Visited US National Parks in 2024

The US National Parks have been in the headlines recently after the Trump Administration started laying off critical park employees. Meanwhile, these were employees that provide guest services, maintain the national parks and more importantly, fight fires and pollution in the parks. Due to this, the national parks will likely face new challenges this year.

Current NPS data reveals that visitors logged a total of 1,395,880,033 recreation visitor hours and 13,412,294 overnight stays. Meanwhile, the most-visited national parks for 2024 are as follows:

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Ranking at No. 1 in most visited US National Parks is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located a few hours’ drive from Knoxville, Tennessee, this national park is renowned for its scenic views of the Great Smoky Mountains. This beautiful park attracted 12.1 million visitors, or around 13 percent of all visitors.

2. Zion National Park, Utah

Located in southwest Utah, Zion National Park is nestled in Zion Canyon’s steep red cliffs. The popular Zion Canyon Scenic Drive takes visitors through its main section, leading to forest trails along the Virgin River. This park comes in second place after welcoming 4.9 million visitors in 2024.

3. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

As with Zion National Park, Grand Canyon National Park also attracted 4.9 million visitors last year. Meanwhile, the Arizona National Park hosts the immense and famous Grand Canyon, with its layered bands of red rock revealing millions of years of geological history.

4. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho

The sprawling Yellowstone National Park covers almost 3,500 square miles of wilderness recreation area atop a volcanic hot spot. Mostly in Wyoming, the park also spreads into parts of Montana and Idaho. The national park features dramatic canyons, alpine rivers, lush forests, hot springs and gushing geysers, including its most famous, Old Faithful and attracted the fourth-most visitors at 4.7 million in 2024.

5. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Located in northern Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park spans the Continental Divide and includes protected mountains, alpine tundra and forests. The park is known for the Trail Ridge Road and the Old Fall River Road, drives that pass aspen trees and rivers. This national park attracted 4.1 million visitors last year.

6. Yosemite National Park, California

Coming in sixth place, Yosemite National Park in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains also attracted 4.1 million visitors in 2024. The park is renowned for its giant, ancient sequoia trees, the Tunnel View, spectacular towering Bridalveil Fall and the granite cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome.

7. Acadia National Park, Maine

Nestling on the Atlantic Coast in Maine, Acadia National Park covers 46,000 acres, primarily on Mount Desert Island. The park’s landscape features rocky beaches, woodland and glacier-scoured granite peaks, including Cadillac Mountain, the highest Point on the US East coast. This park comes in seventh place with 3.9 million users.

8. Olympic National Park, Washington

Lying on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest, Olympic National Park combines several different ecosystems, from the dramatic peaks of the Olympic Mountains to old-growth forests. The summit of glacier-clad Mt. Olympus is popular with climbers, while hikers enjoy backpacking and hiking trails along the Pacific coastline and the park’s rainforests. This park welcomed 3.7 million visitors in 2024.

9. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Located in the northwest of Wyoming State, Grand Teton National Park includes the Teton mountain range, the 13,123-ft Grand Teton peak, and the valley known as Jackson Hole. The national park is a popular summer location for hiking, mountaineering, backcountry camping and fishing. Grand Teton National Park saw 3.6 million visitors last year.

10. Glacier National Park, Montana

Nestling in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Glacier National Park is a wilderness area with glacier-carved peaks and valleys running to the Canadian border. Meanwhile, the national park is crossed by the popular and mountainous Goimng-to-the-Sun Road. This park welcomed 3.2 million travelers in 2024.

Learn more about the US National Parks on the official NPS website.