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How many national parks are there in the U.S.A.?

The National Park System (NPS) in America is one of the greatest treasures we are privileged to have access to here in the U.S. There are more than 63 national parks and 400 national park sites (including U.S. territories, such as Puerto Rico). National sites can include national monuments, seashores, battlefields, parkways, preserves, and more. 

How many people visit the national parks each year?

In 2022, there were 312 million recorded visits reported by NPS, which is a 5% increase from 2021. 13 million of those visitors did overnight stays. Since the founding of the national park system, over 15 billion visitors have toured national parks. 

Read More: 10 Bucket List Hikes In The US To Do

Which national park has the most visitors each year? 

Great Smoky Mountains is 2022’s winner, with nearly 13 million visitors, and competes for the #1 most popular national park year after year. The park’s easy accessibility, family-friendly recreational opportunities, jaw-dropping landscapes, easy-to-spot wildlife, and well-run tourism infrastructure makes the Great Smokies an easy choice for the most visited national park.

What was the first national park?

Yellowstone was founded as America’s first national park in 1874, made official by President Ulysses S. Grant when he signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act.

Which state has the most national parks?

California is home to nine national parks within its state borders, with Alaska running a close second with eight national parks. Fun fact: Delaware is the only state to not have a national park or monument.

Tips for visiting a national park:

1. Plan visits in advance to take advantage of optimal prices and of recreational opportunities in high demand.

2. Go shoulder season to avoid crowds.

3. Be aware of weather and conditions.

4. Have the necessary recommended equipment and gear for your chosen outdoor activity.

5. Be respectful of all landmarks, land, wildlife, and other visitors during your visit.

Read More: 8 Trail Etiquette Rules Every Hiker Should Know.

Your National Park Bucket List:

Each of America’s 63 incredible national parks offers unique and spectacular experiences. Below, we have hand-picked fifteen of the best and most visited national parks, according to the U.S. region.

Best National Parks in the West

Photo by Maura Bielinski

Glacier National Park

Gateway Towns: St. Mary, Montana (east entrance) and West Glacier, Montana (west entrance)

Why You Should Visit 

Glacier National Park is one of the most visited national parks exhibiting expansive American wilderness at its finest. It is a dreamland of imposing mountains, alpine lakes, gorgeous meadows, and thick northern forests, and one of the few places in the U.S. to see its namesake, glaciers!

Big Sky Country lives up to its name: it is grand, it is isolating, and you’ll feel very small surrounded by so much grandeur. Glacier National Park offers boating, fishing, whitewater rafting, and wildlife sightings. Glacier also boasts one of the best starry night skies you will ever see! A head’s up that Glacier is bear country, and bear sightings are common. Bring bear spray and take the necessary precautions, such as making noise as you hike (so as to not surprise them).

What Not To Miss

• Yelling “BEAR!” every chance you get to scare off potential furry neighbors.

• Going-to-the-Sun Road: An eye-popping 50-mile scenic route from one side of the park to the other. The route does require an Entry Reservation Ticket.

• Highline Trail: A challenging 12 mile hike along the Continental Divide, offering unsurpassable panoramic views and wildflowers galore.

• Hidden Lake Trail: A popular 5 mile hike with sweeping views leading to a pristine alpine lake down in a valley below. Great chance of spotting mountain goats!

• The Northern Lights: From September to April, you have the opportunity to see magnificent nighttime displays.

Yosemite National Park 

Gateway Towns: Groveland & Madera County, California

Why You Should Visit

Yosemite National Park is one of the country’s most visited national parks and renowned as an outdoor recreational paradise, abundant with massive waterfalls, unique rock formations, sprawling mountains, and ancient sequoias. If you’re a fan of chasing waterfalls, you’ll be in heaven in Yosemite. Yosemite is also home to a ton of wildlife, and stargazing is as ideal as it gets in California. Rock-climbers, campers, hikers, and even the chill-from-the-car travelers all flock to Yosemite.

What Not To Miss

• Half Dome: The iconic landmark and tricky trek up to Half Dome is a popular experience. It does require a permit (and guts) to hike it.

• Tunnel View: The most photographed view of Yosemite, well-worth a pitstop.

• Lower Yosemite Falls: A stunning waterfall that can be seen via a short 2 mile hike.

• El Capitan: The world’s largest granite monolith

Photo by Maura Bielinski

Yellowstone National Park

Gateway Town: Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Why You Should Visit

Proudly known as the world’s first national park (although that’s debatable), Yellowstone National Park is one of the best national parks to experience due to its highly unique hydrothermal features–aka geysers and hot springs–numbering more than 10,000! Ye Old Faithful, the world’s most famous geyser, resides here and punctually erupts around 20 times a day. More than the geysers, the hot springs and thermal pools display out-of-this-world colors. It is also home to gorgeous waterfalls, lakes, canyons, and a ton of wildlife. 

What Not To Miss

• Old Faithful: The world-known phenomenon, famous for its large size, frequency, and length of eruptions

• Grand Prismatic Spring: The park’s largest hot spring, exhibiting unbelievable shades of vibrant colors.

• Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: A stunningly deep canyon that the Yellowstone River cuts through

• Wildlife: Elk, bear, and America’s largest herd of bison roam freely around the park, and you have high chances of seeing–and being unnervingly close to–bison. (Please, for the love of all that is holy and wild, do not approach the bison for your Instagram selfie.)

Best National Parks in the Southwest

Photo by Maura Bielinski

Zion National Park

Gateway Town: Springdale, Utah

Why You Should Visit

You can thank us for adding Zion to your national park bucket list later. Zion National Park is, as our beloved founder Ashley says, “the most magical place on earth.” Zion’s awe-striking landscape is rampant with sweeping cliffs, wild slot canyons, buttes, mesas, deep valleys, and red rock formations, with its close proximity to Bryce National Park making them a fearsome duo. During the park’s busy summer season, no private vehicles are allowed to travel along the main valley, but the free shuttle system is a quite convenient transportation option. Canyoneering, rock climbing, and horseback riding are some of the activities available to you here, besides hiking.

What Not To Miss

• Drive the jaw-dropping Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and Zion Canyon Scenic Drive.

• The Riverside Walk is a popular, family-friendly stroll along the Virgin River for 2 miles.

• Angel’s Landing: Your life will flash before your eyes as you take on this daunting and iconic 5 mile climb. With thousand-foot drop-offs on all sides, hikers scramble up cliff ledges to a beautiful summit view of Zion Valley. Permit needed.

• The Narrows: This must-do unconventional trail is actually… a river! Hikers follow the Virgin River down a towering, steep-sided red canyon. Depending on the time of year, you may be ankle deep or you may be chest deep in water! Reservation required.

• Emerald Pools Trail: A stunning 3 mile trail that leads to three separate pools. You enjoy views of the enormous valley the entire way and the trail is very family-friendly.

Grand Canyon National Park

Gateway Town: Flagstaff, Arizona

Why You Should Visit

The Grand Canyon is simply a non-negotiable visit worthy national park. Do we really need to say more? One of the seven natural wonders of the world, there is no other landscape in the U.S. that compares to the vastness of this natural phenomenon. Its depths are the blueprint for the history of this part of the earth for the naked eye. Grand Canyon National Park attracts nearly 6 million visitors a year from all over the world, but only a very small percentage of those visitors actually venture farther from the rim and down into the canyon. The canyon stretches over 227 miles, following the mighty Colorado River, and at times is 10 miles wide.

What Not To Miss

• Bright Angel Trail: Outdoor enthusiasts surely have the Bright Angel on their bucket list. This 15 mile hike from the rim to the canyon bottom where the Colorado River runs is not for the faint of heart, due to the steep elevation change.

• Phantom Ranch: If you are brave and bold enough to hike down to the bottom of the canyon, the Phantom Ranch awaits you in a little historic oasis.

• Rim-hopping: If you choose not to venture down into the canyon, the park has dozens of different scenic viewpoints to enjoy and marvel from.

Saguaro National Park

Gateway Town: Tucson, Arizona

Why You Should Visit

Arizona stuns again in the south with this incredible stretch of saguaro cactus forest. Right outside of Tucson in the Sonoran Desert, Saguaro National Park is one of the most loved national parks. A quintessential American landmark and symbol of the American Southwest, the saguaro cactus is known to grow more than 40 feet tall and live up to 200 years. I repeat, an ancient 40-foot-tall spiky growing structure from the dry desert soil, towering above you in the heat. Wow! These impressive cacti make for a unique experience you can’t find in any other national park in the U.S. Hiking, camping, and scenic driving, all with your mouth hanging open in awe, are encouraged.

What Not To Miss

• Standing next to a giant cactus that has prickles the size of your hand.

• Cactus Forest Drive: A 6 mile rolling drive through the thick saguaro forest

• Desert Ecology Trail: A short, easy stroll through a perfect section of cacti

• Wasson Peak Trail: Hikers will want to add this challenging hike to their list to experience some of the finest views of the park

Best National Parks in the Northeast

Photo by Maura Bielinski

Acadia National Park

Gateway Town: Bar Harbor, Maine

Why You Should Visit

Acadia National Park showcases all the best and most beautiful that Maine has to offer, and it will only leave you wanting more Maine wilderness. What makes this national park a gem is that it occupies a very mountainous island, surrounded by sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. You will be summiting a peak to be greeted by a panoramic view of the sea, rocky coastlines, surrounding mountains, and rich green forests. Hiking ranges widely in difficulty, from peaceful lakeside strolls to dangerous peak scrambles. Acadia is smaller in size compared to other national parks on this list, but is still a crowning jewel of New England.

What Not To Miss

• Bar Harbor: A charming, popular tourist town on Mt. Desert Island

• Park Loop Road leads you 27 miles around the park and will be your route to many of the best landmarks, views, and hikes.

• Jordan Pond: A highly-photographed, crystal-blue pristine lake enclosed by mountains.

• The famous drive to Cadillac Mountain, the tallest mountain on the North Atlantic seaboard. Cadillac is the first part of America to be touched by the sun’s rays at sunrise every morning from June to October. 

• Thunder Hole: A roaring, natural cave that spits water and roars—like thunder—an hour or two before high tide daily.

• The Beehive Trail is an adventurous 2 mile trail that involves scrambling, facing your fear of heights, and ladder climbing. It will feel like a real-life Chutes and Ladders game.

Shenandoah National Park

Gateway Town: Front Royal, Virginia

Why You Should Visit

The beautiful landscape of Shenandoah National Park is populated by the lush Blue Ridge Mountains, a small part of the larger Appalachian Mountain range. Shenandoah is certainly a bucket list national park destination with its rolling, forested mountains, scenic drives and lookouts over Shenandoah Valley, and excellent and accessible hiking trails. The famous Skyline Drive is the spine of this long, narrow park. From there, you can wander among waterfalls and streams, summit mountain tops, blast Bluegrass from your car radio on the drive, and revel in the panoramic Mid-Atlantic beauty that you can’t find elsewhere.

What Not To Miss

• Autumn foliage in Shenandoah National Park makes the park a prime destination for leaf peeping. The flaming trees along these rolling mountains in the fall are marvelous!

• Skyline Drive is 105 miles of rolling highway that you will want to never end.

• Hike a section of the Appalachian Trail: The famous Appalachian Trail runs 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine, and crosses through Shenandoah National Park.

Best National Parks in the Midwest

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Gateway Towns: Peninsula and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Why You Should Visit

Who would have thought that a Midwest national park would rank as the #9 most visited? Drawing 3 million visitors in 2022 (even more than more widely-known Bryce Canyon), this Ohio national park is thirty minutes south of Cleveland and Lake Erie. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a lush river valley popular for cycling, mountain biking, paddling, and hiking. While not as epicly eye-popping as other national parks, the park’s significance is also due to its historical sites. 

What Not To Miss

• Peninsula: A quaint gateway community

• Brandywine Falls: A 60-foot waterfall iconic landmark and popular photograph spot

• Ledges Trail: Most popular hike that leads you between towering sandstone cliffs

• Erie Towpath: A gravel path that stretches 87 miles along the Cuyahoga River

Voyageurs National Park

Gateway Town: International Falls, Minnesota

Why You Should Visit

Hiding in northern Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park is a bit of a well-kept secret but one of the most lush and beautiful national parks. In keeping with Minnesota’s reputation as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” Voyageurs is paradise for any adventurers drawn to water-based recreational activities like boating, paddleboarding, kayaking, fishing, and canoeing. 40% of the surface area of the park is water, and the complex labyrinth of waterways make it possible for boaters to accidentally cross into Canada! (Basically, if you like water, this is for you.) Voyageurs is unique for its sprawling wetlands and waterways. There is hiking, stargazing, camping, more silence and peace than you find likely anywhere else, and opportunities to see the Aurora Borealis. 

What Not To Miss

• Perseids Meteor Shower: An annual meteor shower falling somewhere in late July/mid August, with 50 to 75 shooting stars, that is a highlight to see from these northern lands

• Fall Foliage: In autumn, Voyageurs puts on a gorgeous display when the leaves turn.

• Ellsworth Rock Garden: A unique tour of rock sculptures

Best National Parks in the South

Photo by Maura Bielinski

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Gateway Town: Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Why You Should Visit

You never would think morning fog could be so beautiful until you visit the US’ most-visited national park. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park holds an unmatched standard among national parks for its many historical landmarks, incredible scenic drives, amazing hiking system, and well-developed recreation potential. You will fall in love with the ancient Smokies—beautiful, rolling mountains smothered in dense forests and waterfalls that look nearly tropical, charted with an extensive hiking trail system, and often masked in fog that stunningly captures light. There are a ton of outdoor recreational activities available to you, since this is such a well-built and heavily-trafficked area: whitewater rafting, fly fishing, ziplines, backpacking, river tubing, mountain biking, and camping.

What Not To Miss

• All the waterfalls! A few beautiful ones: Grotto Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Abrams Falls.

• The Roaring Fork Nature Trail: A scenic drive with views of historic buildings left over from pioneer days

• Clingman’s Dome is a quintessential pit stop in the park! 

• Nearby attractions are Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, downtown Gatlinburg, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Fontana Lake, if you actually need another reason to visit the Smokies (seems unlikely, though.)

• Charles Bunion: You’ll be able to say you hiked part of the Appalachian Trail! This 8 mile hike is one of top-rated hikes of the Smokies, and hikers feel as if they are traveling the spine of the Appalachians.

Mammoth Cave National Park

Gateway Town: Cave City, Kentucky

Why You Should Visit

Who knew the subterranean world could be so awe-inspiring? The world’s longest cave system is unexpectedly found under the peaceful lands of Kentucky, and new passageways are still being discovered and explored beyond the 412 miles found from Boston to Baltimore. 

One of the most unique and best national parks, Mammoth Cave National Park is aptly named for its mammoth size. The most unique aspect of this park is simply the sheer immensity of its underground chambers. It opens up to enormous rooms with high ceilings, and the passageways wind like spaghetti underground. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the history in these ancient caves are left behind by miners, early American settlers, and indigenous peoples four thousand years ago.

What Not To Miss

• The Cave Tours: Take a tour (a tour is the only way to access the cave so...you don’t have a choice!) The information that the tour guides provide is super educational and fascinating, and the cave takes on a new personality with their historical facts and humorous stories. You will have to choose between 15 tours! Our favorite three are listed below.

• The adventures aren’t all underground! There are 80 miles of trails in the fresh air, horseback riding, camping, canoeing and kayaking, and biking available to you for recreation. All surface features are free of charge.

Best Tours of Mammoth Cave

• Wild Cave Tour: For those who are not looking for an easy way out. It is an all day, strenuous, crawling adventure! You spend 6 hours underground, crawling, squeezing, and climbing 6 miles.

• Extended Historic Tour: For those with a need to know. Your ranger guide will take you through the most interesting, historical sites of the caves. It is 2.25 hours long, 2 miles, and 540 stairs!

• Domes and Dropstones Tour: For those who are looking to see stalactites and stalagmites. It is only .75 miles long and lasts two hours, so you see all sorts of exciting, decorative cave formations in a short period of time.

Big Bend National Park

Gateway Town: Terlingua, Texas

Why You Should Visit

Big Bend National Park is one of the United States’ most remote and breathtaking national parks. Located deep in southern Texas and sharing a border with Mexico. While you gotta work to get to this one, Big Bend is magnificent, huge, and rewards visitors with terrific vistas and outdoor recreation. Hiking, camping, stargazing, canoeing, historical and geological landmarks, natural hot springs–the wild, open country of Texas is yours for the taking. The Rio Grande River slithers through the desert terrain, and massive Chisos Mountains roll all around you, making Big Bend a bucket list destination.

What Not To Miss

• Santa Elena Canyon: A popular 2 mile hike that will give you the best views that Big Bend has to offer. The walls of the canyon at times climb 1,500 feet above you.

• Hot Springs Historical Trail: For those who love hot springs, this short trail will lead to you a secluded fun hot spring adventure.

• The geology and biodiversity in Big Bend is older and more extensive than most other national parks—check out dinosaur fossils at the visitor center.

• Stargazing: Big Bend offers you the deepest, darkest skies in Texas to see more than 2,000 stars nightly.

Best National Parks Outside the Continental U.S.

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

Gateway Town: Hilo, Hawaii

Why You Should Visit

The only national park on this list dedicated to active volcanoes–how could you resist? Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park is certainly one of the best and most visited national parks, as it is home to the world’s largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, and is also a UNESCO Heritage Site. This uniquely tropical, and alive, national park offers an opportunity to experience volcanic terrain, as well as landmarks of a rich Hawaiian history on the island. There are active eruptions happening regularly to this day, forming lava lakes that visitors are able to witness firsthand. The park ranges from 0 to 13,000 feet in elevation. It may be out of your way to get to Hawaii, but the park is an easy 45 minute drive from the airport in Hilo, and the island that awaits you is worth every second of your time.

What Not To Miss

Halema‘uma‘u Crater: A short hike to an active vent on the volcano Kilauea 

Devastation Trail: A short, revealing walk through time as you see how a once-tropical and lush landscape was scorched to cinders

Haʻakulamanu (Sulphur Banks): A short trail where you can experience volcanic steam vents and breathtaking views 

Denali National Park

Gateway Town: Fairbanks, Alaska

Why You Should Visit

A bucket list national park that could put any other to shame, Denali National Park reigns over 6 million acres in central Alaska. This park’s crown jewel, Mt. Denali, is the tallest mountain in America at 20,000 feet (the success rate of climbing this enormous peak is less than 50%), and glaciers cover more than 1 million acres of the park. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Denali wilderness is a dream to explore and romp outside, via camping, hiking, whitewater rafting, flightseeing, ziplining, ATVs, and more. There is actually only one service road throughout the park, and visitors use the free shuttle system as transportation. Home to incredible wildlife like grizzly bears, caribou, Dall sheep, moose, and wolves, Denali is wild and unforgettable to visit!

What Not To Miss

• Denali is the only national park where rangers travel via sled dogs, such a sight to see.

• From fall to early spring, the Aurora Borealis lights up the night sky.

• Flightseeing or helicopter touring is a popular experience for first-time visitors, to get an unforgettable experience at Denali.

• Wonder Lake: A highly-photographed vista over a lake that reflects Mt. Denali in the distance

Which national park is first on your bucket list? Or if your favorite is not listed above, which park do you treasure most? It is incredible to think about how different these fifteen national parks are, but each stunning in their own fashion. 

For those looking to knock out even just two national parks this year, it is worthwhile to purchase the America the Beautiful pass, which offers you access to every national park for an entire calendar year.