Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
National park tourism in the U.S. - statistics & facts
From the snow topped peaks of Glacier National Park to the vibrant hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park, the United States is home to a vast array of wilderness. National parks are areas protected by governments to preserve their natural environment and wildlife for purposes of recreational, historical or scientific interest. That, and they are a huge source of tourism for the U.S., with some national parks being known across the globe. Therefore, it's only natural that endeavors are undertaken to preserve and keep these landscapes, fauna, and flora in their natural state. In 2023, the market size of the national and state park sector in the U.S. was estimated at approximately 1.4 billion U.S. dollars. The sector also included 1,270 businesses and employed around 10.4 thousand workers in that year.
What are the most visited national parks in the U.S.?
The most visited U.S. National Park Service site was the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia, known for its scenic route offering close-up views and landscapes of the Appalachian highlands, attracting approximately 16.8 million visitors in 2023. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California was the second most visited site, with almost 15 million visitors. Some of the most popular activities that visitors participate in when visiting national parks are hiking and camping. In 2023, the number of hiking participants in the U.S. grew significantly over the previous year, reaching just over 61.4 million. Similarly, the number of campers also increased, with over 55 million participants engaging in regular and RV camping.How many visitors were there to U.S. national parks?
Each year, national parks attract millions of visitors, both domestic and international, seeking experiences with nature. The number of recreational visits to National Park Service sites in the U.S. increased in 2023 over the previous year, with nearly 326 million visitors recorded. Zoning in on the different regions in the country, the U.S. region with the highest number of visitors to its national park service sites was the Southeast region, which recorded approximately 74 million visitors. The Pacific West region followed behind, recording nearly 58 million visitors. Meanwhile, when looking at the distribution of recreational visits to national sites in the United States, the highest share of trips taken, at 28 percent, were to national parks, making them the most visited type of site. Comparatively, national historic sites and national preserves recorded the lowest visitation.
