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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

National Park Service (NPS) Statistics: Visits, Spending and Credit Card Tips

Content was accurate at the time of publication.

National Park Service (NPS) sites have seen visits and spending shoot to record highs, according to the most recently available data.

But the NPS reportedly faces substantial layoffs and budget cuts amid the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to reduce federal government spending.

With that in mind, LendingTree analyzed government data on visits to and spending at or around NPS sites — which include national parks, preserves, monuments, memorials, historic sites, seashores and more — and found they’re booming. In fact, eight states saw NPS sites spur more than $1 billion in visitor spending in 2023.

Here’s more about what we found.

  • National Park Service (NPS) sites were visited 331.9 million times in 2024 — the highest since tracking began in 1904. This includes all sites overseen by the NPS, including parks, monuments, preserves, seashores and more. This is a 2.0% increase from 325.5 million in 2023.
  • The District of Columbia and California saw the most recreation visits in 2024, totaling nearly a quarter of all NPS visits nationwide. The District of Columbia led with 42.0 million visits in 2024, or 12.6% of visits to NPS sites. The states with the fewest visits were New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island, each at fewer than 50,000. Delaware had the biggest increase in visits from 2023 to 2024, at 52.1%, while Oklahoma had the largest decline, at 19.6%.
  • The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (NRA) was the most popular NPS site in 2024. The California site led with 17.2 million visits in 2024, ahead of Blue Ridge Parkway (PKWY) in North Carolina and Virginia at 16.7 million and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NP) in North Carolina and Tennessee at 12.2 million.
  • Visitors to NPS sites spent an estimated $26.4 billion in 2023 — up 68.0% in 10 years. This includes spending at the site, as well as hotels, dining, gas and more at locations in and around the sites. Looking just at national parks and the surrounding communities, people spent $11.7 billion in 2023 — the most recent year for which spending data was available — after spending $10.8 billion in 2022.
  • Visitors to NPS sites in California spent $3.2 billion in 2023, but seven other states spurred at least $1 billion in spending. North Carolina ($2.6 billion) and Utah ($1.9 billion) were a distant second and third. Only three sites topped $1 billion in visitor spending: Great Smoky Mountains NP ($2.2 billion), Golden Gate NRA ($1.5 billion) and Blue Ridge PKWY ($1.4 billion).

NPS sites throughout the U.S. were visited 331.9 million times in 2024, the highest total since tracking began in 1904. That’s nearly 900,000 more than the previous high set in 2016 and marks the fourth straight year of substantial growth since attendance bottomed out in 2020 amid the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Recreation visits to National Park Service (NPS) sites hit an all-time high in 2024.

Recreation visits to National Park Service (NPS) sites

YearVisitsYoY % change
2014292,800,082N/A
2015307,247,2524.9%
2016330,971,6897.7%
2017330,882,7510.0%
2018318,211,833-3.8%
2019327,516,6192.9%
2020237,064,332-27.6%
2021297,115,40625.3%
2022311,985,9985.0%
2023325,498,6464.3%
2024331,863,3582.0%

Source: LendingTree analysis of National Park Service (NPS) visitor use statistics data.

Nearly a quarter (24.5%) of all visits to NPS sites nationwide in 2024 happened in just two places: The District of Columbia and California, with 42.0 million and 39.4 million visits, respectively. The Lincoln Memorial was responsible for 8.5 million of the D.C. visits, while the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (NRA) accounted for 17.2 million of California’s visits.

Virginia (21.4 million) was the only other state with more than 20.0 million visits, carried by 16.7 million visits to the Blue Ridge Parkway (PKWY). (Note: Not all of the 16.7 million visits were attributed to Virginia, as the parkway is also in North Carolina.)

The states with the most recreation visits to NPS sites were the District of Columbia, California and Virginia.

Delaware had by far the biggest yearly increase, jumping 52.1%. Meanwhile, Oklahoma (down 19.6%) led six states that saw double-digit decreases in visits to NPS sites.

Most recreation visits to NPS sites by state

RankState2023 visits2024 visits% change
1District of Columbia41,101,34141,961,7262.1%
2California36,211,84739,405,1968.8%
3Virginia23,263,46621,362,318-8.2%
4North Carolina20,893,20718,796,184-10.0%
5New York17,197,34418,741,0539.0%
6Utah15,678,15815,821,5790.9%
7Florida13,309,14613,503,2561.5%
8Tennessee10,545,64912,571,30319.2%
9Arizona10,809,52011,254,0814.1%
10Washington8,294,7499,036,0388.9%
11Massachusetts8,732,6828,836,5721.2%
12Mississippi9,065,2568,800,187-2.9%
13Wyoming7,683,0178,120,3015.7%
14Pennsylvania8,300,0047,972,917-3.9%
15Colorado7,280,5817,227,859-0.7%
16Georgia6,781,8377,010,2253.4%
17Maryland6,305,7296,563,7844.1%
18Montana5,656,6155,931,5934.9%
19Texas5,339,5035,366,2080.5%
20New Jersey5,195,5465,212,7610.3%
21Nevada4,552,3505,022,20310.3%
22Hawaii4,808,3854,618,839-3.9%
23Arkansas4,447,7514,471,4520.5%
24Missouri4,170,4174,396,4445.4%
25Maine3,930,7774,010,3422.0%
26South Dakota4,423,5483,850,934-12.9%
27Alaska3,254,8093,473,7156.7%
28Ohio3,195,7843,244,2851.5%
29Indiana3,040,4623,001,734-1.3%
30Michigan2,820,1692,923,6303.7%
31West Virginia2,343,3552,580,21110.1%
32New Mexico2,265,5732,375,3584.8%
33Kentucky1,975,5372,037,3413.1%
34Oklahoma2,094,2321,682,867-19.6%
35Alabama1,287,2911,390,5828.0%
36South Carolina1,281,6021,120,740-12.6%
37Minnesota1,090,1341,077,540-1.2%
38Oregon1,045,772988,605-5.5%
39Idaho769,552795,6253.4%
40North Dakota767,938755,846-1.6%
41Wisconsin650,296733,82712.8%
42Nebraska314,896330,0274.8%
43Louisiana300,411270,126-10.1%
44Iowa171,523210,00622.4%
45Delaware126,414192,22052.1%
46Illinois188,138188,2370.1%
47Kansas106,700110,2823.4%
48Vermont71,79981,71313.8%
49Rhode Island37,70743,24214.7%
50Connecticut36,31334,246-5.7%
51New Hampshire30,53726,685-12.6%

Source: LendingTree analysis of NPS visitor use statistics data. Note: Rankings are based on 2024 visits.

Three NPS sites had more than 10.0 million visits in 2024, with California’s Golden Gate NRA topping the list at 17.2 million. The Blue Ridge PKWY in North Carolina and Virginia, which had the most visits in 2023, was second in 2024 at 16.7 million. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NP) in North Carolina and Tennessee was third at 12.2 million.

Eight other NPS sites had at least 5.0 million visits, led by New Jersey and New York’s Gateway NRA at 8.9 million.

Top 100 in 2024: Recreation visits to NPS sites

RankSite2023 visits2024 visits% change
1Golden Gate NRA14,953,88217,187,50814.9%
2Blue Ridge PKWY16,757,63516,733,639-0.1%
3Great Smoky Mountains NP13,297,64712,191,834-8.3%
4Gateway NRA8,705,3298,929,0352.6%
5Lincoln Memorial8,099,1488,479,3494.7%
6Gulf Islands NS8,277,8577,801,176-5.8%
7Natchez Trace PKWY6,784,8537,364,8338.5%
8George Washington MEM PKWY7,391,2606,782,717-8.2%
9Lake Mead NRA5,798,5416,412,85410.6%
10Vietnam Veterans MEM5,039,4545,295,7115.1%
11World War II MEM5,119,5415,160,7690.8%
12Zion NP4,623,2384,946,5927.0%
13Grand Canyon NP4,733,7054,919,1633.9%
14Yellowstone NP4,501,3824,744,3535.4%
15Glen Canyon NRA5,206,9344,725,610-9.2%
16Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP4,470,5924,421,276-1.1%
17Korean War Veterans MEM4,132,4564,344,3055.1%
18Rocky Mountain NP4,115,8374,154,3490.9%
19Yosemite NP3,897,0704,121,8075.8%
20Delaware Water Gap NRA4,207,5414,079,763-3.0%
21Acadia NP3,879,8903,961,6612.1%
22Cape Cod NS3,808,4043,823,2420.4%
23Castle Clinton NM3,929,7493,822,759-2.7%
24Statue of Liberty NM3,739,6073,722,029-0.5%
25Olympic NP2,947,5033,717,26726.1%
26Grand Teton NP3,417,1063,628,2226.2%
27Martin Luther King Jr. MEM3,341,6543,251,594-2.7%
28Franklin Delano Roosevelt MEM3,298,7883,225,923-2.2%
29Glacier NP2,933,6163,208,7559.4%
30Joshua Tree NP3,270,4042,991,874-8.5%
31Chattahoochee River NRA3,183,0812,940,804-7.6%
32Thomas Jefferson MEM2,984,9192,915,319-2.3%
33Cuyahoga Valley NP2,860,0592,912,4541.8%
34Independence NHP3,042,5982,798,651-8.0%
35Cape Hatteras NS2,826,1692,762,954-2.2%
36Boston NHP2,517,2962,744,4589.0%
37Indiana Dunes NP2,765,8922,705,209-2.2%
38Gateway Arch NP2,422,8362,563,0525.8%
39Colonial NHP2,691,9312,551,228-5.2%
40San Francisco Maritime NHP1,769,4672,535,13443.3%
41Bryce Canyon NP2,461,2692,498,0751.5%
42Hot Springs NP2,502,9672,461,812-1.6%
43Point Reyes NS2,268,0582,371,8004.6%
44Stonewall NM832,6502,302,641176.5%
45Assateague Island NS2,351,8742,282,498-2.9%
46Big Cypress NPRES1,846,5622,216,70820.0%
47Rock Creek Park1,817,8681,917,1705.5%
48Canaveral NS2,019,0731,884,091-6.7%
49Valley Forge NHP1,880,5271,866,480-0.7%
50Mount Rushmore NMEM2,431,1951,850,329-23.9%
51New River Gorge NP and PRES1,707,2231,811,9376.1%
52Shenandoah NP1,576,0081,720,2119.1%
53Buffalo NR1,549,4671,686,3488.8%
54Chickasaw NRA2,082,3261,670,498-19.8%
55Sleeping Bear Dunes NL1,598,2481,670,0254.5%
56Mount Rainier NP1,674,2941,620,006-3.2%
57Pearl Harbor NMEM1,692,7191,588,798-6.1%
58Kennesaw Mountain NBP1,499,2171,495,856-0.2%
59Arches NP1,482,0451,466,528-1.0%
60John D. Rockefeller Jr. MEM PKWY1,382,3451,459,8045.6%
61Death Valley NP1,099,6321,440,48431.0%
62Hawaii Volcanoes NP1,620,2941,433,593-11.5%
63Capitol Reef NP1,268,8611,422,49012.1%
64Ozark NSR1,334,1371,343,7790.7%
65Klondike Gold Rush NHP Alaska1,284,3201,336,0084.0%
66San Juan NHS1,314,8191,329,7281.1%
67Sequoia NP980,5671,309,57333.6%
68San Antonio Missions NHP1,180,9291,278,7778.3%
69National Capital Parks East1,252,9121,271,1261.5%
70Lake Meredith NRA1,337,6831,212,905-9.3%
71Fort Point NHS903,6851,189,90831.7%
72Martin Luther King Jr. NHP481,1011,159,438141.0%
73Badlands NP1,046,4001,094,2454.6%
74Lake Roosevelt NRA1,140,3601,091,489-4.3%
75World War I MEM1,092,2281,084,897-0.7%
76National Capital Parks Central1,057,8351,034,341-2.2%
77Fort Vancouver NHS967,6021,007,7564.1%
78Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP1,021,8221,003,081-1.8%
79Timucuan EHP959,461997,1363.9%
80Curecanti NRA957,635980,8992.4%
81Ross Lake NRA881,837971,17310.1%
82Pictured Rocks NL910,939953,0524.6%
83Saguaro NP1,010,906946,369-6.4%
84President's Park897,181915,6362.1%
85Saint Croix NSR806,257900,82811.7%
86Minute Man NHP1,001,333879,316-12.2%
87Cabrillo NM810,147845,9124.4%
88Amistad NRA836,733832,294-0.5%
89Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP844,890818,533-3.1%
90Canyonlands NP800,322818,4922.3%
91Whiskeytown NRA920,311812,244-11.7%
92Muir Woods NM809,697792,494-2.1%
93Big South Fork NRRA766,000779,6021.8%
94Little River Canyon NPRES700,638763,2098.9%
95Mammoth Cave NP654,450747,04214.1%
96Everglades NP810,189741,983-8.4%
97Gettysburg NMP742,173741,574-0.1%
98Glacier Bay NP and PRES703,659736,2824.6%
99Theodore Roosevelt NP746,862732,951-1.9%
100Haleakala NP791,292732,477-7.4%

Source: LendingTree analysis of NPS visitor use statistics data. Notes: NRA is a national recreation area, PKWY is a parkway, NP is a national park, NS is a national seashore, MEM PKWY is a memorial parkway, MEM is a memorial, NHP is a national historical park, NM is a national monument, NPRES is a national preserve, NMEM is a national memorial, NP and PRES is a national park and preserve, NR is a national reserve, NL is a national lakeshore, NBP is a national battlefield park, NSR is a national scenic riverway, NHS is a national historic site, NMP is a national military park, EHP is an ecological and historical preserve and NRRA is a national river and recreation area. This includes the top 100 regardless of site type.

As visits to NPS sites grow, so does spending in their local communities. In 2023 — the most recent year for which spending data is available — visitors spent $26.4 billion in and around NPS sites. That’s up from $23.9 billion in 2022 and $15.7 billion in 2014.

Lodging, including hotels and motels, made up the biggest slice of visitor spending (37.5%) in 2023, according to the NPS. Dining at restaurants comprised 19.5%, while gasoline purchases made up 10.6%.

Visitor spending at and around National Park Service (NPS) sites topped $26 billion in 2023.

Visitor spending at and around NPS sites

YearAmount spent
2014$15.7 billion
2015$16.9 billion
2016$18.4 billion
2017$18.2 billion
2018$20.2 billion
2019$21.0 billion
2020$14.5 billion
2021$20.5 billion
2022$23.9 billion
2023$26.4 billion

Source: 2023 NPS Visitor Spending Effects report. Notes: 2023 is the latest available year for spending data. This includes spending at the site, as well as hotels, dining, gas and more at locations in and around the sites.

Eight states saw visitors to NPS sites spend at least $1.0 billion in 2023, with California leading at $3.2 billion. The other seven states — North Carolina, Utah, Alaska, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona and Wyoming — were spread throughout the nation. Meanwhile, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont saw the least spending.

The states where NPS visitors spend the most are California, North Carolina and Utah.

Visitor spending at or around NPS sites by state

RankStateSpending (in millions)
1California$3,162.9
2North Carolina$2,587.4
3Utah$1,899.6
4Alaska$1,504.9
5Virginia$1,494.3
6Tennessee$1,400.6
7Arizona$1,225.0
8Wyoming$1,098.6
9District of Columbia$998.0
10Florida$870.9
11Massachusetts$862.9
12Colorado$795.9
13New York$724.9
14Montana$716.3
15South Dakota$599.9
16Mississippi$590.1
17Hawaii$586.5
18Washington$565.1
19Maine$478.8
20Pennsylvania$426.3
21Georgia$403.9
22Texas$322.7
23Arkansas$288.8
24Michigan$273.4
25Missouri$262.9
26Nevada$238.8
27Maryland$225.7
28New Jersey$192.8
29Ohio$163.7
30Indiana$156.6
31New Mexico$141.8
32West Virginia$120.5
33Kentucky$114.9
34Alabama$88.9
35Oregon$86.8
36South Carolina$80.9
37Minnesota$67.5
38Wisconsin$64.6
39North Dakota$56.0
40Idaho$44.2
41Oklahoma$41.4
42Nebraska$22.5
43Louisiana$20.1
44Illinois$13.0
45Iowa$11.9
46Delaware$8.5
47Kansas$6.0
48Vermont$4.8
49Rhode Island$2.5
50Connecticut$2.4
51New Hampshire$1.7

Source: 2023 NPS Visitor Spending Effects report. Notes: 2023 is the latest available year for spending data. This includes spending at the site, as well as hotels, dining, gas and more at locations in and around the sites.

Only three sites brought in more than $1.0 billion in visitor spending, with Great Smoky Mountains NP leading the way at $2.2 billion. The Golden Gate NRA ($1.5 billion) and Blue Ridge PKWY ($1.4 billion) were the other two to top $1.0 billion, while 10 others brought in at least $500 million in visitor spending.

Top 100 in 2023: Visitor spending at and around NPS sites

RankSiteSpending (in millions)
1Great Smoky Mountains NP$2,198.5
2Golden Gate NRA$1,505.1
3Blue Ridge PKWY$1,390.8
4Grand Canyon NP$768.4
5Grand Teton NP$738.0
6Zion NP$676.0
7Cape Hatteras NS$644.0
8Yellowstone NP$623.3
9Rocky Mountain NP$568.5
10Denali NP and PRES$559.4
11Glen Canyon NR$539.9
12Cape Cod NS$533.7
13Yosemite NP$526.6
14Natchez Trace PKWY$498.5
15Acadia NP$475.2
16Gulf Islands NS$418.0
17Mount Rushmore NMEM$389.4
18Glacier NP$372.1
19Pearl Harbor NMEM$327.2
20Colonial NHP$299.7
21Lake Mead NRA$292.5
22Glacier Bay NP and PRES$291.7
23Arches NP$282.8
24Olympic NP$279.2
25Gateway NRA$262.5
26Statue of Liberty NM$250.5
27George Washington MEM PKWY$241.2
28Bryce Canyon NP$231.9
29Klondike Gold Rush AK NHP$208.9
30Independence NHP$203.8
31Sleeping Bear Dunes NL$196.7
32Joshua Tree NP$185.8
33Hot Springs NP$184.2
34Lincoln MEM$175.1
35Gateway Arch NP$170.2
36Boston NHP$168.6
37Big Cypress NPRES$167.9
38Delaware Water Gap NRA$166.3
39Chattahoochee River NRA$161.2
40Hawaii Volcanoes NP$154.6
41San Juan NHS$150.8
42Indiana Dunes NL$139.8
43Cuyahoga Valley NP$138.7
44Badlands NP$134.6
45Wrangell-St. Elias NP and PRES$131.0
46Everglades NP$120.6
47Assateague Island NS$118.6
48Korean War Veterans MEM$117.4
49Point Reyes NS$115.2
50Shenandoah NP$114.4
51Castle Clinton NM$113.9
52World War II Memorial$110.7
53Capitol Reef NP$110.6
54Vietnam Veterans MEM$108.9
55Canyonlands NP$106.1
56National Capital Parks Central$103.3
57Death Valley NP$103.3
58Thomas Jefferson MEM$102.2
59Muir Woods NM$101.0
60Kennesaw Mountain NBP$100.4
61Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP$96.0
62San Antonio Missions NHP$95.0
63New River Gorge NR$86.2
64Sequoia NP$84.4
65Canaveral NS$84.2
66Mojave NPRES$78.9
67Buffalo NR$78.2
68Kenai Fjords NP$77.1
69Saguaro NP$74.5
70Martin Luther King Jr. MEM$72.2
71Mount Rainier NP$70.7
72Chickamauga and Chattanooga NMP$68.4
73Minute Man NHP$67.1
74Ozark NSR$66.8
75Fort Vancouver NHS$64.8
76Timucuan EHP$64.3
77Mammoth Cave NP$62.0
78Kings Canyon NP$61.2
79Fort Point NHS$60.5
80Mesa Verde NP$59.5
81Lake Roosevelt NRA$59.2
82Haleakala NP$57.5
83Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania NMP$56.6
84Katmai NP and PRES$56.5
85Stonewall NM$55.8
86Crater Lake NP$55.2
87Virgin Islands NP$55.2
88Gettysburg NMP$54.8
89Cabrillo NM$54.3
90Theodore Roosevelt NP$54.2
91Wind Cave NP$52.0
92San Francisco Maritime NHP$51.3
93Big Bend NP$48.5
94Curecanti NRA$48.1
95Fort Matanzas NM$47.7
96Little River Canyon NPRES$46.9
97Whiskeytown NRA$46.4
98Pictured Rocks NL$45.8
99Ross Lake NRA$45.5
100Cedar Breaks NM$45.2

Source: 2023 NPS Visitor Spending Effects report. Notes: NP is a national park, NRA is a national recreation area, PKWY is a parkway, NS is a national seashore, NP and PRES is a national park and preserve, NR is a national reserve, NMEM is a national memorial, NHP is a national historical park, NM is a national monument, MEM PKWY is a memorial parkway, NL is a national lakeshore, MEM is a memorial, NPRES is a national preserve, NHS is a national historic site, NBP is a national battlefield park, NHP is a national historical park, NMP is a national military park and NSR is a national scenic riverway. This includes the top 100 regardless of site type. 2023 is the latest available year for spending data. This includes spending at the site, as well as hotels, dining, gas and more at locations in and around the sites. Rankings are based on unrounded figures.

Whether you’re going across town, across the country or somewhere in between to visit one of our country’s incredible NPS sites, it doesn’t need to cost you a small fortune. The right credit card, used wisely, can save you money and extend your budget to make a great trip even better.

For example, a gas rewards card can save you big if you’re road-tripping to your favorite park. Plenty of cards give you extra points, miles or cash back for spending at gas stations. Unless you know your gas station of choice will be available almost anywhere along your route, you’re probably better off with a general-purpose rewards card that gives extra rewards when you buy gas.

Airline- and hotel-branded credit cards can deliver big savings, too. They can offer free (or dramatically discounted) hotel nights and airfares that can turn a too-expensive trip into one that fits into the budget. However, a general-purpose travel rewards card is better for many because of its flexibility. Those points and miles can be used anywhere rather than being tied to a specific airline or hotel chain, so it frees you up to redeem them in the way that works best for you.

Of course, a good old cash back card is hard to beat. Rather than worrying about the redemption value of those points and miles and where you can use them, you simply get 1% to 2% cash back on everything you buy. It may not sound like much, but that can add up.

LendingTree researchers examined National Park Service (NPS) visitor use statistics data, which includes national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, seashores and more. Specifically, researchers analyzed the number of recreation visits at each NPS site in 2023 and 2024 and analyzed the percentage change in that period.

Researchers also analyzed data from the 2023 National Park Service Visitor Spending Effects report (the latest available on spending).

The content above is not provided by any issuer. Any opinions expressed are those of LendingTree alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. The offers and/or promotions mentioned above may have changed, expired, or are no longer available. Check the issuer's website for more details.

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