A new report from the National Park Service examined 2022 attendance at U.S. national parks. The report found efforts to boost attendance at lesser-known, and less crowded, national parks appear to have paid off.
The report found the most popular national parks—eight parks accounting for 25% of all visits—increased attendance 1.2% in 2022 from the previous year.
Meanwhile, the 330 parks on the opposite end of the scale, accounting for 25% of all visits, grew 4.6% in attendance in 2022 from the previous year.
“We are excited to see our efforts to increase visitation to parks in the off-season and in parks that are less well-known paying off,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said.
In 2022, parks known for recreation opportunities drew 38% of visitors, NPS said. Parks that primarily focus on U.S. history and cultural heritage drew 32% of total park visitors. Parks anchored by nature-based experiences drew 30% of visitors.
“People continue to seek a variety of national park travel experiences – to learn about American history and culture, get active, and enjoy breathtaking scenic views,” Sams said. “Many parks with record visitation in 2022 are on what we would call ‘the road less traveled.’ The subtle shift in park visitation is good for visitors, good for protecting parks and good for local communities whose economies benefit from tourism dollars.”
The report found 312 million total recreation visits in 2022, up 5% from the 297 million visits in 2021. Parks registering record visitors in 2022 all were in the bottom half of overall park visitors.
The report found 75 parks totaled more than 1 million visitors while nine parks topped 5 million visitors and three topped 10 million visitors.
