The top 10 most visited US National Parks and memorials
Nearly 312 million visited national parks and memorials last year, up more than 5% over 2021. Despite the increase, the visitor counts still trail pre-pandemic levels.
These were the most visited national parks and memorials of 2022
Of the more than 400 locations across the country, these were the most visited national park sites in 2022 as reported by the National Park Service.
Nearly 312 million people visited national parks and memorials last year, up more than 5% over 2021.
Attendance at the most popular ten sites nearly accounted for a third of all foot traffic, according to the National Park Service.
Here is a list of the national parks and memorials that topped the list.
- Blue Ridge Parkway, 15.7 million
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 15.6 million
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 12.9 million
- Gateway National Recreation Area, 8.7 million
- Lincoln Memorial, 7.8 million
- George Washington Memorial Parkway, 7.4 million
- Natchez Trace Parkway, 6.5 million
- Gulf Islands National Seashore, 5.7 million
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 5.6 million
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 4.9 million
Popular parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone came in at numbers 20 and 25, respectively.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK WARNS OF DANGERS AFTER FIRST GRIZZLY BEAR SIGHTING OF 2023
Weather causes problems at the parks
Watch: Video shows raging rivers, destruction from catastrophic Yellowstone flooding
The National Park Service released a video showing raging rivers and destruction as the result of catastrophic and devastating flooding at Yellowstone National Park in June.
Yellowstone National Park may have ranked in the top 25 most visited, but catastrophic flooding forced one of the main entrances to the parks to close for four months.
On the morning of June 13, 2022, flooding and rockslides forced the closure of the main roadway near Yellowstone National Park's North Entrance.
Watch: Drone video shows Yellowstone River floodwaters submerging Montana Valley
Drone video taken by Paradise Valley Aerials shows floodwaters stretching across the valley, including in the towns of Pine Creek and Pray.
Roads and bridges inside the United States' oldest national park were destroyed, as well as surrounding communities.
Engineers and workers with state and federal groups came together and worked seven days a week to clear debris and rebuild roads, eventually leading to the reopening in late October.
Relentless snowfall in the Sierra Nevada buries Yosemite under feet of snow
An onslaught of storms pummeling the West Coast brought feet of snow to California’s Sierra Nevada, including up to 15 feet of snow in areas of Yosemite National Park.
More recently, weather forced the closure of Yosemite National Park.
WATCH: ROCKFALL IN YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK CRASHES DOWN THE SIDE OF EL CAPITAN
Park officials first closed Yosemite National Park at the end of February when a barrage of storm systems dumped over 15 feet of snow, overpowering crews working hard to remove snow and keep the national park open for visitors.
Yosemite remained closed into mid-March as more powerful storms impacted California.
Watch: A rockfall in Yosemite National Park crashes down the side of El Capitan
Video recorded from the Yosemite valley floor on Monday captures images of debris falling down the rock face and a