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The 10 Most Popular National Parks of 2024

With over 12 million visitors, Great Smoky Mountains National Park led the pack in 2024. See which other national parks were must-visit destinations last year.
ByCaLea Johnson|
Great Smoky Mountains National Park tops the list.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park tops the list. | Tony Barber/GettyImages

National parks are the perfect destinations for those looking to get in touch with nature. There are 63 national parks in the U.S., but which were the most popular in 2024? The National Park Service recently shared which destinations were visited the most in 2024.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (also known as the “Smokies”) received the highest number of visitors, attracting 12,191,834 guests last year. The park covers parts of Tennessee and North Carolina, making it accessible to one-third of the U.S. population. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also popular thanks to its free admission and incredible biodiversity. It’s home to over 30 species of salamanders, making it the salamander capital of the world. 

Up next is Utah’s Zion National Park, with 4,946,592 visits in 2024. There are plenty of gorgeous sites there, from the park’s watery canyon pathway (The Narrows) to its picturesque Virgin River. The park is also home to the rare Zion snail species that’s unique to the area. They’re tiny, usually growing to be less than one-eighth of an inch, yet they have the biggest feet in the animal kingdom relative to their size.

Grand Canyon National Park rounds out the top three entries of the list, with 4,919,163 visitors logged last year. The destination features some of the most iconic views on Earth and is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders, making it a top choice for national park explorers. On top of its world famous geology, it offers some unique meteorological phenomena as well. Guests have a chance to see a “total cloud inversion,“ which occurs when cool air submerges beneath warm air, causing a sea of clouds. 

The most popular national parks of 2024 are as follows:

  1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park 
  2. Zion National Park 
  3. Grand Canyon National Park 
  4. Yellowstone National Park 
  5. Rocky Mountain National Park 
  6. Yosemite National Park 
  7. Acadia National Park 
  8. Olympic National Park 
  9. Grand Teton National Park 
  10. Glacier National Park 

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