National Park Service visitation tops 318 million in 2018

Visitation to America’s national parks in 2018 exceeded 300 million recreation visits for the fourth consecutive year. The 318.2 million recreation visits total is the third highest since record keeping began in 1904.

“America’s national parks are national treasures that tell the story of our nation and celebrate its beauty, history and culture,” said Acting Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. “I am pleased that so many Americans and visitors from around the world continue to take advantage of the affordable and accessible recreational opportunities provided by these sites.”

“The visitation to our national parks continues to affirm that Americans are in love with their public lands and hold dear the stories of our nation embodied in the natural, cultural and historic landscapes we protect in the National Park System,” National Park Service Deputy Director Dan Smith said.

The 418 national parks throughout the country provide a vast array of opportunities for recreation and inspiration for visitors of all ages. With at least one located in every state, national parks are easily accessible and affordable destinations. In the past five years there have been about 1.6 billion recreational visits to national parks.

In 2018, Golden Gate National Recreation Area reclaimed the top spot for highest visitation in the National Park System from the Blue Ridge Parkway. These two parks have been trading places at one and two since 1979. In the national parks category, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (11.4 million) and Grand Canyon National Park (6.4 million) continue to hold the top two spots, as they have since 1990.

Here's a look at the numbers:

By The Numbers around the National Park System

• 318,211,833 recreation visits (385 of 418 parks report visitation figures)

• 1,401,420,191 recreation visitor hours

• 13,950,759 overnight stays

• 28 parks set a new record for visitation (about 7% of reporting parks), including Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains and Rocky Mountain National Park

• 17 parks broke a record they set in 2017

• 3 parks had over 10 million recreation visits – Blue Ridge Parkway, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park

• 9 parks had over 5 million recreation visits

• 77 parks had over 1 million recreation visits (about 20% of reporting parks)


Top 10 - National Parks

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - 11,421,200
Grand Canyon National Park - 6,380,495
Rocky Mountain National Park - 4,590,493
Zion National Park - 4,320,033
Yellowstone National Park - 4,115,000
Yosemite National Park - 4,009,436
Acadia National Park - 3,537,575
Grand Teton National Park - 3,491,151
Olympic National Park - 3,104,455
Glacier National Park - 2,965,309


Top 10 - All Parks in the National Park System

Golden Gate National Recreation Area – 15,223,697 
Blue Ridge Parkway – 14,690,418
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 11,421,200
Gateway National Recreation Area – 9,243,305
Lincoln Memorial – 7,804,683
Lake Mead National Recreation Area – 7,578,958
George Washington Memorial Parkway – 7,288,623
Grand Canyon National Park – 6,380,495
Natchez Trace Parkway – 6,362,439
Vietnam Veterans Memorial – 4,719,148





Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking