America’s 11 Most Visited National Parks in 2017

In 2017, America’s National Parks celebrated their 101st birthday an welcomed tens of millions of visitors to their stunning scenery. Spurned on by the total eclipse in August and a warmer than average summer, the 59 National Parks had another incredible year. While wildfires and construction hindered visitation to many popular National Parks, the trend of visitation over the past few years continued upward. Some parks moved up on the list, while others dropped, but the 11 most-visited parks in 2017 remained the same as 2016.

All year long, Americans were encouraged to get outside, yet again, with the aim of exploring the majesty and breathtaking vistas, trails and drives in our National Parks. The National Park Service announced 330,882,751 recreation visits in 2017 – almost identical to the record-setting 330,971,689 recreation visits in 2016. While numbers were steady, visitors actually spent more time in parks during their 2017 visits compared to 2016.

While the popularity of the parks caused a few problems here and there, the vast majority of visitors took only pictures and left only with inspiring and warm memories from the great outdoors. The visitation numbers are encouraging, giving us hope that the American population will stand up against the continued attacks on our Public Lands by the current administration. We must remain vigilant to ensure that these areas are protected for future generations, so contact your member of Congress and tell them to keep our public lands public and fully funded.