Amid Historic Layoffs, National Park Service Reports Record Visitation in 2024, Showing Its Immense Popularity
The National Park Service (NPS) reported that it had 331,863,358 recreation visits in 2024, which is a new record. This is a 2% increase from (or 6.36 million visits more than) 2023. The previous record was set in 2016.
This record-high visitation comes at a time when the National Park Service is facing huge challenges, specifically because it’s suffered a 9% reduction in its staff. A thousand probationary employees were laid off, another 700 full-time employees accepted a deferred resignation offer.
Additionally, the National Parks Conservation Association also reported that the current administration is planning on cancelling 34 leases for NPS buildings, which include visitor centers, park headquarters, superintendent’s offices, and museums.
It’s very hard to reconcile these two things. While visitation to our national parks reaches record highs, the Park Service now must attempt to provide the same services, programs, science, and public safety with a significantly reduced workforce.
The very fact that the parks had 331.9 million visits—which is basically the same as the entire U.S. population—shows how immensely popular they are among the general public.
The parks protect essential natural resources, provide safe havens for (endangered) wildlife, support hundreds of thousands of jobs, contribute more than $55 billion to the U.S. economy, sustain gateway communities, and offer nearly endless opportunities for recreation in some of the world’s most magnificent landscapes.
National parks are loved by all kinds of Americans, all across the political spectrum. The National Park Service is arguably the most popular government agency in the United States.
These public lands are popular among campers, hikers, cyclists, boaters, wildlife photographers, fishermen, hunters, outdoorsy families with young children, people enjoying their retirement while RVing across the country, and numerous others.
They protect world-famous landscapes and world-class scenery, ranging from the Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yosemite, and Yellowstone to the Everglades, Denali, Death Valley, and the Great Smoky Mountains.
The parks also preserve countless important cultural and historical sites.
From Thomas Edison’s laboratory and the place where the Wright brothers executed mankind’s first flight to the Native American cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, the Civil Rights movement, the San Antonio Missions, the Statue of Liberty, the Oregon Trail, and Gettysburg—just to name a few—they tell a comprehensive story of the USA as a nation.
“The National Park Service just reported the highest visitation in its history, as the administration conducts massive firings and threatens to close visitor centers and public safety facilities. It’s a slap in the face to the hundreds of millions of people who explored our parks last year and want to keep going back. Americans love their national parks; these cuts do not have public support,” said Kristen Brengel, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association.
Which Are the Most Visited NPS Sites?
This was the top 10 of most visited National Park Service sites in 2024:
10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial – 5,295,711
9. Lake Mead National Recreation Area – 6,412,854 visits
8. George Washington Memorial Parkway – 6,782,717 visits
7. Natchez Trace Parkway – 7,364,833 visits
6. Gulf Islands National Seashore – 7,801,176 visits
5. Lincoln Memorial – 8,479,349 visits
4. Gateway National Recreation Area – 8,929,035 visits
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 12,191,834 visits
2. Blue Ridge Parkway – 16,733,639 visits
1. Golden Gate National Recreation Area – 17,187508 visits
Which Are the Most Visited National Parks?
This was the top 10 of most visited national parks in 2024:
10. Glacier National Park – 3,208,755
9. Grand Teton National Park – 3,628,222
8. Olympic National Park – 3,717,267
7. Acadia National Park – 3,961,661
6. Yosemite National Park – 4,121,807
5. Rocky Mountain National Park – 4,154,349
4. Yellowstone National Park – 4,744,353
3. Grand Canyon National Park – 4,919,163
2. Zion National Park – 4,946,592
1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 12,191,834 visits
Source: National Park Service Visitation Use Statistics
What You Can Do To Help Our National Parks
If you care about our national parks, their dedicated employees, and the peril they both find themselves in at the moment, there are a few things you can do to help.
The first, and arguably most important, action you can take is letting Congress know how seriously this is affecting hard-working, genuine, passionate, and qualified Americans—on both sides of the political aisle.
You can conveniently do that by filling out this form on the National Parks Conservation Association website.
Additionally, you can also contact your Senator or Representative directly. The best way to do that is through the 5 Calls app.
Other ways to help is by donating to conservation associations like the abovementioned National Parks Conservation Association, the National Park Foundation, or the National Forest Foundation.
In a more practical way, when visiting national parks and forests, always make sure to follow the seven Leave No Trace Principles. This is more important than ever, considering that public lands may have fewer staff available. Keep yourself safe, keep the landscape clean, leave the wildlife alone, and look out for other visitors as well.
