National Parks Recorded 312 Million Recreation Visits in 2022, Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels

This news story about 2022 national parks visitation statistics is based on a February 27, 2023, National Park Service press release. You can read the original release here.

In its 2022 Visitation Report, released on February 27, 2023, the National Park Service (NPS) shares a wealth of visitation statistics from across the National Park System.

The report showed that visitation to America’s national parks has essentially recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

“It also demonstrates subtle shifts in visitation patterns after two years of efforts to bolster visitation at lesser-known parks and at times of the year when parks historically saw fewer visitors,” the Park Service said.

National Park Service Visitation Numbers Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels

In total, the National Park Service recorded 312 recreation visits in 2022, which is an increase of 15 million visits (5%) since 2021.

“While not as high as 2018 and 2019,” the agency said, “2022 is very much like years immediately before the National Park Service Centennial in 2016 and is only 6% lower than that all-time record year.”

Statisticians employed by the National Park Service analyzed the wealth of data collected throughout last year, looking, among other things, at which types of parks people visited in 2022. They found that visitation is spread fairly evenly across three main categories of parks.

• 38% of visitation was in parks known for recreation opportunities.
• 32% of visitation was in parks that focus primarily on U.S. history and cultural heritage.
• 30% of visitation was in parks that offer nature-based experiences.

“People continue to seek a variety of national park travel experiences – to learn about American history and culture, get active, and enjoy breathtaking scenic views,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said.

2022 National Parks Visitation Stats Show Shift in Visitation Patterns

In recent years, the National Park Service has made efforts to draw people to the less-visited units in the Park System. Those efforts are now starting to show results, with significant increases in visitation numbers in the “smaller” parks.

National Park Service Director Chuck Sams stated that “we’re excited to see our efforts to increase visitation to parks in the off-season and in parks that are less well-known paying off. Many parks with record visitation in 2022 are on what we would call ‘the road less traveled.’”

“The subtle shift in park visitation is good for visitors, good for protecting parks, and good for local communities whose economies benefit from tourism dollars,” Sams said.

Although only 8 major parks (out of 424 NPS units) are responsible for 25% of total visitation, the biggest increases in visitation were seen in the less popular parks

• The group of 330-plus parks that make up 25 percent of overall visitation had a 4.6 percent increase in visitation from 2021 to 2022.  
• The group of 37 parks that make up 25 percent of overall visitation had a 2 percent increase in visitation from 2021 to 2022.
• The group of 19 parks that make up 25 percent of overall visitation had a 10 percent increase in visitation from 2021 to 2022.
• The group of 8 parks that make up 25 percent of overall visitation had a 1.2 percent increase in visitation from 2021 to 2022.

Most Visited National Park Service Units in 2022

Way above all the rest are the typical NPS units that top the national park visitation list each year. These three units all welcomed more than 10 million visitors in 2022.

See the top 10 most visited National Park Service units in 2022 below, plus their annual visitation number (and percentage of the 2022 total of 312 million).

1. Blue Ridge Parkway – 15,711,004 (5.04%)
2. Golden Gate National Recreation Area – 15,638,911 (5.01%)
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 12,937,633 (4.15%)
4. Gateway National Recreation Area – 8,728,291 (2.80%)
5. Lincoln Memorial – 7,825,397 (2.51%)
6. George Washington Memorial Parkway – 7,397,120 (2.37%)
7. Natchez Trace Parkway – 6,543,533 (2.10%)
8. Gulf Islands National Seashore – 5,685,155 (1.82%)
9. Lake Mead National Recreation Area – 5,578,226 (1.79%)
10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial – 4,886,254 (1.57%)

Most Visited National Parks in 2022

As you could see above, only one “actual” national park made the top 10 of most visited NPS units last year—Great Smoky Mountains. That doesn’t mean, of course, that the other national parks saw a decline in visitation.

In fact, as the stats show, there was a general increase in visitation across the entire National Park System. Some unusual events did (temporarily) affect visitation in certain parks, though.

Examples include the historic floods in Yellowstone and Death Valley, fires in Sequoia and Yosemite, and hurricanes in Everglades and Dry Tortugas.

See the top 10 most visited national parks in 2022 below, plus their annual visitation number (and percentage of the 2022 total of 312 million).

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 12,937,633 (4.15%)
2. Grand Canyon National Park – 4,732,101 (5.34%)
3. Zion National Park – 4,692,417 (5.29%)
4. Rocky Mountain National Park – 4,300,424 (4.85%)
5. Acadia National Park – 3,970,260 (4.48%)
6. Yosemite National Park – 3,667,550 (4.14%)
7. Yellowstone National Park – 3,290,242 (3.71%)
8. Joshua Tree National Park – 3,058,294 (3.45%)
9. Cuyahoga Valley National Park – 2,913,312 (3.29%)
10. Glacier National Park – 2,908,458 (3.28%)

You can find all historic national park visitation stats on the National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics website.

More Interesting Findings From the 2022 National Park Service Visitation Report

Combing through the incredible amount of statistics in the 2022 National Park Service Visitation Report could take many hours, if not entire days. Luckily, the Park Service has summarized some interesting numbers for us.

• 312 million recreation visits were recorded in 2022 compared to 297 million recreation visits in 2021, an increase of 5 percent year over year.
• There are 424 parks in National Park System; 395 parks count visitors.
• Parks with record visitation in 2022 are in the lower 50 percent of overall park visitation.
• 12 parks set a visitation record in 2022, including 5 parks that broke a visitation record they set in 2021.
• There were more than 13 million overnight stays in the National Park System in 2022.
• There were more than 1.35 billion recreation visitor hours in the National Park System in 2022.
• 3 parks had more than 10 million recreation visits.
• 9 parks had more than five million recreation visits.
• 75 parks had more than one million recreation visits.

And lastly, more than 15.7 billion people have visited national parks since 1904!

You can find several fascinating national park visitation facts in these Annual Visitation Highlights graphics.