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The Most Visited State Park in Every State and U.S. Territory

The Most Visited State Park in Every State and U.S. Territory

As travel restrictions and quarantine mandates have largely lifted across the United States and Americans are starting to travel again, many are undertaking road trips, and setting their sights on National Parks. Many of these saw record numbers of visitors this spring and are anticipating their busiest summer ever. 

It’s no wonder. Not only do our National Parks feature popular canyons, waterfalls, old growth-forests, and snow-capped mountains; some also encompass far rarer sites such as deserts, fjords, temperate rainforests, and volcanoes. These are the National Parks that have grown the most in popularity since 1980.

To identify the most visited national park in every state and U.S. territory, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data tracked for 2020 by the National Park Service (NPS). The National Parks Social Science Program coordinates the collection of recreational visitation statistics for more than 400 government-run facilities throughout the year. These include many classifications of National Park — among them National Preserve, National Historic Site, National Recreation Area, National Monument, even National Seashore and National River. 

This report documents the number of recreation visitors and visitor days for all NPS units that reported public use data in 2020 and displays the percent change from the previous year. As a result, and likely due to COVID-19-related closures in 2020, the most visited park in Delaware was not possible to identify. These are the most popular National Monuments.

Although some parks and recreation areas that feature indoor spaces were closed in 2020, most outdoor parks remained open and some even waived entrance fees for part of the season. Those that remained open saw a surge in visitors and many were forced to limit access in order to prevent overcrowding. About 237 million people visited the country’s National Parks last year. Here are the most visited National Parks in 2020.

Now, as the National Park Service gears up for a record year, rangers ask that visitors consider using less popular trails, carry out their own trash if possible, and be ready for long wait times and crowded parking lots. 

Source: RobHainer / iStock via Getty Images

Alabama: Little River Canyon National Preserve
> Visitors in 2020: 802,375 — #82 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 649,986 — #114 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 23.4% — #19 out of 408 parks

Source: troutnut / iStock via Getty Images

Alaska: Kenai Fjords National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 115,882 — #206 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 356,601 — #161 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -67.5% — #313 out of 408 parks

Source: usinterior / Flickr

American Samoa: National Park of American Samoa
> Visitors in 2020: 4,819 — #371 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 60,006 — #294 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -92.0% — #388 out of 408 parks

Source: grand_canyon_nps / Flickr

Arizona: Grand Canyon National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 2,897,098 — #16 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 5,974,411 — #6 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -51.5% — #264 out of 408 parks

Source: mtnorton / Flickr

Arkansas: Buffalo National River
> Visitors in 2020: 1,478,846 — #45 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,326,282 — #68 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 11.5% — #37 out of 408 parks

Source: datmore / iStock via Getty Images

California: Golden Gate National Recreation Area
> Visitors in 2020: 12,400,045 — #1 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 15,002,227 — #1 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -17.3% — #133 out of 408 parks

Source: Brian W. Schaller / Wikimedia Commons

Colorado: Rocky Mountain National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 3,305,199 — #9 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 4,670,053 — #10 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -29.2% — #178 out of 408 parks

Source: Nancy Kennedy / Shutterstock.com

Connecticut: Weir Farm National Historic Site
> Visitors in 2020: 25,430 — #297 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 38,700 — #324 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -34.3% — #200 out of 408 parks

Source: TylerFairbank / Getty Images

District of Columbia: Lincoln Memorial
> Visitors in 2020: 2,980,075 — #14 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 7,808,182 — #4 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -61.8% — #298 out of 408 parks

Source: scgerding / iStock via Getty Images

Florida: Gulf Islands National Seashore
> Visitors in 2020: 3,052,959 — #12 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 4,363,870 — #15 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -30.0% — #181 out of 408 parks

Source: glenirah / Flickr

Georgia: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
> Visitors in 2020: 3,066,877 — #11 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 3,393,133 — #25 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -9.6% — #107 out of 408 parks

Source: U.S. National Park Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Guam: War in the Pacific National Historical Park
> Visitors in 2020: 318,711 — #140 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 432,213 — #146 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -26.3% — #168 out of 408 parks

Source: boblinsdell / Flickr

Hawaii: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 589,775 — #95 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,368,376 — #65 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -56.9% — #278 out of 408 parks

Source: Bruce Ellis / Shutterstock.com

Idaho: Nez Perce National Historical Park
> Visitors in 2020: 301,473 — #145 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 216,068 — #202 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 39.5% — #10 out of 408 parks

Source: prayitnophotography / Flickr

Illinois: Lincoln Home National Historic Site
> Visitors in 2020: 27,744 — #292 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 197,816 — #205 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -86.0% — #375 out of 408 parks

Source: J. Crocker / Wikimedia Commons

Indiana: Indiana Dunes National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 2,293,106 — #25 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 2,134,285 — #42 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 7.4% — #46 out of 408 parks

Source: dougtone / Flickr

Iowa: Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
> Visitors in 2020: 56,270 — #250 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 125,688 — #242 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -55.2% — #276 out of 408 parks

Source: mobili / Flickr

Kansas: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
> Visitors in 2020: 29,009 — #289 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 33,750 — #333 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -14.0% — #121 out of 408 parks

Source: aheflin / iStock via Getty Images

Kentucky: Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
> Visitors in 2020: 683,966 — #87 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 655,277 — #112 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 4.4% — #60 out of 408 parks

Source: string_bass_dave / Flickr

Louisiana: Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
> Visitors in 2020: 192,601 — #175 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 590,329 — #122 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -67.4% — #312 out of 408 parks

Source: Philippe Gratton / Getty Images

Maine: Acadia National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 2,669,034 — #20 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 3,437,286 — #23 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -22.4% — #152 out of 408 parks

Source: pong / Flickr

Maryland: Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
> Visitors in 2020: 3,715,211 — #11 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 3,888,758 — #23 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -4.5% — #85 out of 408 parks

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

Massachusetts: Cape Cod National Seashore
> Visitors in 2020: 4,083,505 — #7 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 4,096,104 — #19 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -0.3% — #71 out of 408 parks

Source: csterken / iStock via Getty Images

Michigan: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
> Visitors in 2020: 1,718,696 — #39 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,570,001 — #58 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 9.5% — #42 out of 408 parks

Source: Aaron Fulkerson - http://www.ninje.com, CC BY 2.5 , via Wikimedia Commons

Minnesota: Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
> Visitors in 2020: 399,310 — #120 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 319,133 — #166 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 25.1% — #17 out of 408 parks

Source: JPaulMoore / iStock via Getty Images

Mississippi: Natchez Trace Parkway
> Visitors in 2020: 4,899,845.00 — #9 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 5,036,831 — #11 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -2.7% — #75 out of 408 parks

Source: Tamara Harding / iStock via Getty Images

Missouri: Ozark National Scenic Riverway
> Visitors in 2020: 1,316,795 — #52 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,221,489 — #75 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 7.8% — #44 out of 408 parks

Source: jopoe / Flickr

Montana: Yellowstone National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 1,941,215 — #34 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 2,050,346 — #45 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -5.3% — #91 out of 408 parks

Source: scgerding / iStock via Getty Images

Nebraska: Scotts Bluff National Monument
> Visitors in 2020: 181,900 — #180 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 166,007 — #218 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 9.6% — #41 out of 408 parks

Source: CrackerClips / iStock via Getty Images

Nevada: Lake Mead National Recreation Area
> Visitors in 2020: 6,012,382 — #6 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 5,624,288 — #9 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 6.9% — #51 out of 408 parks

Source: Felix Lipov / Shutterstock.com

New Hampshire: Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
> Visitors in 2020: 13,286 — #330 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 31,759 — #335 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -58.2% — #282 out of 408 parks

Source: Leembe / iStock via Getty Images

New Jersey: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
> Visitors in 2020: 2,888,656 — #17 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 2,396,156 — #37 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 20.6% — #26 out of 408 parks

Source: vincentsg / Flickr

New Mexico: White Sands National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 415,383 — #116 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 608,785 — #118 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -31.8% — #191 out of 408 parks

Source: andykazie / iStock via Getty Images

New York: Gateway National Recreation Area
> Visitors in 2020: 6,382,680 — #4 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 7,803,348 — #4 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -18.2% — #134 out of 408 parks

Source: jaredkay / Getty Images

North Carolina: Blue Ridge Parkway
> Visitors in 2020: 8,741,681 — #2 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 9,285,170 — #2 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -5.9% — #93 out of 408 parks

Source: iip-photo-archive / Flickr

North Dakota: Theodore Roosevelt National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 551,303 — #98 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 691,658 — #108 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -20.3% — #142 out of 408 parks

Source: benedek / iStock via Getty Images

Ohio: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 2,755,628 — #19 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 2,237,997 — #41 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 23.1% — #21 out of 408 parks

Source: baronbrian / Flickr

Oklahoma: Chickasaw National Recreation Area
> Visitors in 2020: 1,348,122 — #51 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,422,612 — #63 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -5.2% — #90 out of 408 parks

Source: Dendron / Getty Images

Oregon: Crater Lake National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 670,500 — #89 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 704,512 — #107 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -4.8% — #89 out of 408 parks

Source: rabbit75_ist / iStock via Getty Images

Pennsylvania: Valley Forge National Historic Park
> Visitors in 2020: 2,012,832 — #33 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 2,259,944 — #43 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -10.9% — #111 out of 408 parks

Source: OGphoto / iStock via Getty Images

Puerto Rico: San Juan National Historic Site
> Visitors in 2020: 357,100 — #130 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,197,345 — #77 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -70.2% — #325 out of 408 parks

Source: kickstand / Getty Images

Rhode Island: Roger Williams National Memorial
> Visitors in 2020: 13,971 — #328 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 59,419 — #295 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -76.5% — #343 out of 408 parks

Source: ovidiuhrubaru / iStock

South Carolina: Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park
> Visitors in 2020: 365,133 — #126 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 877,894 — #92 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -58.4% — #286 out of 408 parks

Source: Kjsmith47 / iStock via Getty Images

South Dakota: Mount Rushmore National Monument
> Visitors in 2020: 2,074,986 — #28 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,963,540 — #47 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 5.7% — #57 out of 408 parks

Source: WerksMedia / iStock via Getty Images

Tennessee: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 6,773,604 — #3 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 7,026,734 — #6 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -3.6% — #80 out of 408 parks

Source: milehightraveler / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Texas: Lake Meredith National Recreation Area
> Visitors in 2020: 1,612,784 — #42 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,328,340 — #67 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 21.4% — #23 out of 408 parks

Source: Joecho-16 / Getty Images

Utah: Zion National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 3,591,254 — #8 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 4,488,268 — #13 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -20.0% — #139 out of 408 parks

Source: National Park Service

Vermont: Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
> Visitors in 2020: 23,538 — #306 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 45,979 — #311 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -48.8% — #255 out of 408 parks

Source: navin75 / Flickr

Virgin Islands: Virgin Islands National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 167,540 — #183 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 133,398 — #236 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 25.6% — #16 out of 408 parks

Source: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz), CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Virginia: George Washington Memorial Park Way
> Visitors in 2020: 6,237,361 — #5 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 7,487,265 — #5 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -16.7% — #130 out of 408 parks

Source: brian-m / Flickr

Washington: Olympic National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 2,499,177 — #22 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 3,245,806 — #28 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -23.0% — #157 out of 408 parks

Source: zrfphoto / iStock via Getty Images

West Virginia: New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
> Visitors in 2020: 1,054,374 — #63 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 1,195,721 — #78 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -11.8% — #116 out of 408 parks

Source: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Wisconsin: Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
> Visitors in 2020: 399,310 — #120 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 319,133 — #166 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: 25.1% — #17 out of 408 parks

Source: Michael Morse / Getty Images

Wyoming: Grand Teton National Park
> Visitors in 2020: 3,289,638 — #10 most out of 408 parks
> Visitors in 2019: 3,405,614 — #24 most out of 408 parks
> YoY change: -3.4% — #80 out of 408 parks

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