On the National Park Service’s Birthday, Give These Lesser-Known Parks the Spotlight

The National Park Service's birthday is on August 25th. Creating an everlasting and indelible impact on our nation, the National Park Service deserves endless recognition and respect for the work that they do to keep our parks beautiful. 2025 is the perfect year to check out some national parks you've yet to visit, especially if they end up being less crowded than the average (looking at you, Yellowstone).

Some national parks are more popular than others. For instance, Great Smoky Mountains National Park saw well over 12 million visitors in 2024. Following the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, nearly 5 million people flocked to Zion National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. For a good reason, too! These places are absolutely stunning. But what about hidden gems with smaller crowd sizes?

If you're looking to beat the crowds, we've created a list of underrated and undercrowded national parks and forests to explore. To gather this data, we used official national park numbers found on their website. Let's check out these beautiful spots and celebrate the birth of the National Park Service!

This post was updated on August 18th, 2025, in celebration of the National Park Service's anniversary.

• Location: Utah
• Established: September 12, 1964
• Surface Area: 337,598 acres
• Visitors: 818,492
• Points of Interest: Island in the Sky Visitor Center, Mesa Arch, Green River Overlook, Grand View Point Overlook, and Shafer Trail Viewpoint
  

• Location: Alaska
• Established: December 2, 1980
• Surface Area: 8,472,506 acres
• Visitors: 11,907
• Points of Interest: John River, Wild River, Frigid Crags, and Boreal Mountain

• Location: Washington State
• Established: October 2, 1968
• Surface Area: 504,654 acres
• Visitors: 16,485
• Points of Interest: Gorge Overlook, Ross Lake Overlook, Washington Pass Overlook, Diablo Lake Vista Point, and Blue Lake

• Location: New Mexico
• Established: December 20, 2019
• Surface Area: 145,762 acres
• Visitors: 702,236
• Points of Interest: Dune Life Nature Trail, Playa Trail, Interdune Boardwalk, and White Sands Visitor Center

• Location: Oregon and Washington State
• Established: July 1, 1908
• Surface Area: 1,407,087 acres
• Visitors: At least 200,000
• Points of Interest: Jubilee Lake, Hat Rock State Park, Olive Lake, Little Bald Mountain, and McNary Lock & Dam

• Location: New Mexico
• Established: December 19, 1980
• Surface Area: 33,977.8 acres
• Visitors: 41,594
• Points of Interest: Chaco Culture National Historical Park Visitor Center, Wijiji Trail, and South Mesa Trail

• Location: Michigan
• Established: April 3, 1940
• Surface Area: 571,790 acres
• Visitors: 28,806
• Points of Interest: Rock Harbor, Greenstone Ridge Trail, Scoville Point, and Lookout Louise

• Location: Florida
• Established: January 4, 1935
• Surface Area: 64,701 acres
• Visitors: 84,873
• Points of Interest: Fort Jefferson, Garden Key, Loggerhead Key, and Bush Key

• Location: American Samoa
• Established: October 31, 1988
• Surface Area: 8,256.67 acres
• Visitors: 22,567
• Points of Interest: Fagatele Marine Sanctuary, Blunts Point Trail, Matafao, and Utulei Beach Park

• Location: Alaska
• Established: December 2, 1980
• Surface Area: 4,030,015 acres
• Visitors: 18,505
• Points of Interest: Chinitna Bay, Tanalian Mountain, Kontrashibuna Lake Trail, Hope Creek Trail, and Portage Creek Trail

• Location: Nevada
• Established: October 27, 1986
• Surface Area: 77,180 acres
• Visitors: 152,068
• Points of Interest: Lehman Caves, Wheeler Peak, Mather Overlook, Stella Lake, and Lexington Arch

• Location: Minnesota
• Established: April 8, 1975
• Surface Area: 218,200 acres
• Visitors: 199,030
• Points of Interest: Ash River Visitor Center, Ellsworth Rock Gardens, Rainy Lake, Beaver Pond Overlook, and Oberholtzer Trail

• Location: Alaska
• Established: December 2, 1980
• Surface Area: 1,750,716 acres
• Visitors: 17,233
• Points of Interest: Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and Kobuk River