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Top 10 Most Visited National Parks in 2021

The National Park Service (NPS) recently released its visitation statistics for 2021, including the most visited national parks in 2021.

In the report, the NPS said that “while visitation has not completely recovered to pre-pandemic levels, it has regained much of the visitation lost due to pandemic restrictions in 2020 and is now at a level like the 2014-2015 run up to the NPS Centennial in 2016.”

As more and more people continue to explore America’s national parks, numerous of the most famous national parks broke their visitation records in 2021. In total, no fewer than 44 NPS sites set a record for recreation visit in 2021.

However, it’s also important to point out that the National Park System as a whole as not as crowded as it used to be.

Yet, crown jewel parks like Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Glacier, Rocky Mountain, Zion and Grand Canyon have been overcrowded for years—and probably will continue to be in the future.

NPS Director Chuck Sams said “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. We’re happy to see so many visitors returning to iconic parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.”

Check out the most visited national parks in America in 2021 below!

Top 10 Most Visited U.S. National Parks

10. Glacier National Park

2021 recreational visits: 3,081,656

Early morning light on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park

9. Indiana Dunes National Park

2021 recreational visits: 3,177,210

8. Yosemite National Park

2021 recreational visits: 3,287,595

Yosemite National Park, California - Image credit NPS Don Wood
Image credit: NPS / Don Wood

7. Grand Teton National Park

2021 recreational visits: 3,885,230

T.A. Moulton Barn at sunrise, Grand Teton National Park

6. Acadia National Park

2021 recreational visits: 4,069,098

Jordan Pond in Acadia National Park, which was one of the most visited national parks in 2021

5. Rocky Mountain National Park

2021 recreational visits: 4,434,848

Stormy Hallett and Flattop in Rocky Mountain National Park in Fall - Image credit NPS Jacob W. Frank
Image credit: NPS / Jacob W. Frank

4. Grand Canyon National Park

2021 recreational visits: 4,532,677

Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park

3. Yellowstone National Park

2021 recreational visits: 4,860,242

Yellowstone National Park was one of the most visited national parks in 2021

2. Zion National Park

2021 recreational visits: 5,039,835

Virgin River and the Watchman, Zion National Park

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

2021 recreational visits: 14,161,548

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park of 2021 - Image credit NPS Victoria Stauffenberg
Image credit: NPS / Victoria Stauffenberg

25 Most Visited National Park Service Sites in 2021

Across the entire NPS system, these were the most visited National Park Service units in 2021.

  1. Blue Ridge Parkway: 15.9 million
  2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 14.1 million
  3. Golden Gate National Recreation Area: 13.7 million
  4. Gateway National Recreation Area: 9.1 million
  5. Lake Mead National Recreation Area: 7.6 million
  6. George Washington Memorial Parkway: 6.8 million
  7. Natchez Trace Parkway: 6.4 million
  8. Lincoln Memorial: 5.8 million
  9. Gulf Islands National Seashore: 5.5 million
  10. Zion National Park: 5 million
  11. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: 5 million
  12. Yellowstone National Park: 4.9 million
  13. Grand Canyon National Park: 4.5 million
  14. Rocky Mountain National Park: 4.4 million
  15. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area: 4.3 million
  16. Acadia National Park: 4 million
  17. Cape Cod National Seashore: 4 million
  18. Grand Teton National Park: 3.9 million
  19. World War II Memorial: 3.7 million
  20. Vietnam Veterans Memorial: 3.6 million
  21. Yosemite National Park: 3.3 million
  22. Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area: 3.3 million
  23. Cape Hatteras National Seashore: 3.2 million
  24. Indiana Dunes National Park: 3.2 million
  25. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: 3.1 million

Which of The Most Visited National Parks in America Have You Visited? How Was Your National Park Experience? Share Your Thoughts Below!