Most Visited National Parks Revealed

As someone who's been visiting national parks throughout the United States since I was a young child, I definitely have my favorites. I could happily visit Zion National Park in Utah, over and over again and never get bored.

As it turns out, I'm not alone when it comes to my love of Zion. The park ranked second on a just-released list of the most visited national parks in the United States in 2025.

The number one park on the list? Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. A whopping 11.5 million people visited this beloved park in 2025, according to data published by the National Park Service. That’s more visitors than the second and third-most popular parks on the list, combined.

The same report shows that the total number of people who visited the national park system last year was a notable 323 million. That's a decline, however, from the 331.8 million record high recorded in 2024. 

Over the course of 2025, the parks faced an onslaught of budget cuts under the Trump Administration, along with a government shutdown last year, which had a significant impact on visitation, says the National Parks Conservation Association.

“The enduring popularity of America’s national parks is not surprising. What’s shocking is this administration’s relentless attacks on these places and their caretakers, which threatens their future,” Emily Douce, Deputy Vice President for Government Affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), a nonpartisan organization established in 1919.

The good news, according to Douce and NPCA, is that Americans remain united in their support for national parks. In fact, recent national polling affirms that "across party lines, people reject the senseless cuts to park budgets and staff that have pushed parks to a breaking point," says Douce.

Here’s a closer look at 2025’s 10 most visited national parks in the United States:

• Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina and Tennessee – 11.5 million
• Zion National Park, Utah – 4.9 million
• Yellowstone National Park, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming – 4.7 million
• Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona – 4.4 million
• Yosemite National Park, California – 4.2 million
• Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado – 4.1 million
• Acadia National Park, Maine – 4 million
• Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming – 3.8 million
• Olympic, Washington – 3.5 million
• Glacier, Montana – 3.1. million
  
  

---

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Topics From This Article to Explore