The Most-Visited National Parks During the Pandemic

America’s national parks continue to be some of the nation’s biggest tourist draws. Recreational visits were up 25.3% system-wide in 2021, according to the National Park Service, as 2020’s park closures lapsed and visitors eager for fresh air returned. The surge in visitors hasn’t been without its downsides, though, with some of the most popular parks dealing with overcrowding and all of the problems that come with it. Here are the 15 parks that drew the most visitors last year, including a few names you might not expect. 

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2021 visits:2.1 million

Change from 2020:+43.7%

Bryce Canyon, one of Utah’s “Mighty 5” national parks, held steady at No. 15 year despite gaining a very significant 600,000 visitors in 2021.

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2021 visits:2.2 million

Change from 2020: +60.4%

This newcomer to the top 15 most-visited parks saw a surge of more than 800,000 visitors in 2021 compared with 2020. One of the smallest and perhaps unexpected parks, it features historic thermal bathhouses and even the only brewery in a national park. 

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2021 visits:2.6 million

Change from 2020: -6.5%

Little-known Cuyahoga Valley enjoyed a big pandemic bounce in 2020 from antsy urbanites and suburbanites looking for fresh air in this park just south of Cleveland. But it doesn’t appear to have lasted, and the park dropped from No. 7 to No. 13. It’s the only park in the top 15 that lost visitors in 2021.

2021 visits:2.7 million

Change from 2020: +8.8%

This lush Pacific Northwest destination dropped from No.9 to No. 12 in 2021, but its visitation numbers held relatively steady.

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2021 visits:3.1 million

Change from 2020: +27.7%

Joshua Tree dropped one spot, from No. 10 to No. 11, despite welcoming over 600,000 more visitors than it did in 2020.

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2021 visits: 3.1 million

Change from 2020: +81.4%

Glacier National Park was only the 13th most-visited park in 2020, but after being heavily impacted by pandemic closures, it bounced back into the top 10 in 2021 with a huge increase of nearly 1.4 million visitors.

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2021 visits:3.2 million

Change from 2020: +38.6%

Indiana Dunes, one of the nation’s newest national parks, moved from No. 11 to No. 9 in 2021. Partially driving its robust visitation numbers: Its proximity to Chicago.

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2021 visits:3.3 million

Change from 2020: +44.9%

After welcoming just 2.3 million visitors in 2020, thelowest the park had seen in more than 45 years, Yosemite’s numbers rebounded in 2021, moving the park from No. 12 to No. 8.  

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2021 visits:3.9 million

Change from 2020: +18.1%

Grand Teton dropped two places, from No. 5 to No. 7, but saw nearly 600,000 more visitors than it did in 2020.

2021 visits:4.1 million

Change from 2020: +52.5%

Acadia rose from No. 8 in 2020 to No. 6 in 2021. It is one of just three parks that are east of the Mississippi to make the top 10.

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2021 visits:4.4 million

Change from 2020: +34.2%

Rocky Mountain National Park slipped from the nation’s No. 4 most-visited park in 2020 to No. 5 during 2021.

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2021 visits:4.5 million

Change from 2020: +56.5%

Grand Canyon National Park is back in the top 5 most-visited parks after dropping to No. 6 in 2020, a year that it dealt with significant pandemic-related closures and a drop in international visitors.

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2021 visits:4.9 million 

Change from 2020: +27.7%

Always-popular Yellowstone dropped from second, its highest ranking since the 1940s, to the third-most visited park in 2021.

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2021 visits:5 million

Change from 2020: +40.3%

Zion swapped places with Yellowstone, moving from No. 3 to No. 2 in 2021.

2021 visits:14.2 million

Change from 2020: +17.1%

The Smokies have been the nation’s most-visited national park since 1944, a distinction that even COVID-19 hasn’t been able to change. 

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