Here are the top 10 most popular national parks across America
In 2025, the top 10 national parks alone brought in nearly 49 million visitors.
Stunning beauty awaits those who visit Utah’s Zion National Park
Many Americans across the country are enjoying the day off for Labor Day, and people looking to explore the great outdoors won’t be disappointed by checking out Utah’s Zion National Park. FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray has more from Sedona, Arizona.
America loves its national parks and with 63 of them across the country, there are so many to see. A new report lists the top 10 most-visited national parks in the U.S. in 2025.
Millions of people flock to national parks every year. In 2025, the top 10 parks alone brought in nearly 49 million visitors.
From mountains to rock formations, geysers, volcanoes and beaches, there's a national park for everyone to love.

GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Vehicles wait in line at an entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park on February 23, 2025 in Grand Canyon, Arizona.
(Brandon Bell / Getty Images)
The National Park Service each year releases a report on the number of visitors to each national park.
Check out the list below and see which parks made the top 10:
1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This national park that lies in both North Carolina and Tennessee took the top spot for most-visited park in 2025.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park recorded 11,527,939 visitors for the year, far surpassing any other national park on the list.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the fall.
(NPS / FOX Weather)
With more than 19,000 species documented in the park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most biodiverse in the national park system.
The park encompasses more than 800 square miles and has held the record for most-visited park for many years.
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FILE - View of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, USA at sunrise from the Newfound Gap Overlook.
(Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket / Getty Images)
2. Zion National Park
Coming in second place is Zion National Park in Utah. This national park saw 4,984,525 visitors in 2025.
The beautiful sandstone cliffs that make up Zion National Park encompass some of the most scenic canyon country in the United States.
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SPRINGDALE, UT - MAY 14: A sign hangs at the entrance to Zion National Park on May 14, 2020 in Springdale, Utah. Zion National Park had a limited reopening yesterday as part of its reopening plan after it was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
(George Frey / Getty Images)
Though millions of visitors behind Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Zion saw more than 200,000 more visitors than the third-most popular national park on the list.
In addition to the sandstone cliffs, Zion's 232 square miles are also made up of high plateaus, the Virgin River and its tributaries and a maze of narrow, deep, sandstone canyons.

Utah's Zion National Park
(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)
3. Yellowstone National Park
The third-most popular park of 2025 was Yellowstone National Park.
Situated in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, Yellowstone saw 4,762,988 visitors in 2025.

Hills and mountains are seen at Yellowstone National Park in 2022.
(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)
Yellowstone is the first national park ever and encompasses 2.2 million acres full of unique hydrothermal and geologic features.
Visitors flock to Yellowstone to see geysers like Old Faithful and beautiful hot springs. Yellowstone also has a vast wildlife population full of bison that have lived there for centuries, according to the National Park Service.
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Norris Geyser Basin. Yellowstone National Park. Wyoming. United States of America
(Claudio Beduschi/REDA/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
4. Grand Canyon National Park
In Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park saw 4,430,653 people in 2025.
The national park, made of plateaus and canyon carved by the Colorado River, spans 1,904 square miles.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
(Photo by: Jim Lane/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, with a canyon that's one mile deep, the NPS said.
Grand Canyon National Park is a vast historic geological landmark with 28 locations within the park designated as National Historic Landmarks or on the National Register of Historic Places.
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FILE - Late afternoon view of Grand Canyon National Park, Cape Royal, North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA, (Photo by Wild Horizons/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
5. Yosemite National Park
Halfway down the list is Yosemite National Park in California.
This vast national park saw 4,278,413 visitors in 2025, more than 125,000 people more than in 2024.
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YOSEMITE VALLEY, CA - OCTOBER 05: The iconic Half Dome is viewed from Glacier Point at sunset on October 5, 2019, in Yosemite National Park, California. With the arrival of fall, the tens of thousands of monthly visitors begins to drop off but the usual weekend traffic congestion and on-going road construction projects continue to provide challenges for getting around in the Park.
(George Rose / Getty Images)
Encompassing 1,169 square miles, Yosemite National Park is known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, giant sequoia trees and biological diversity.
Nearly 95 percent of Yosemite is congressionally designated wilderness.
Yosemite is one of the nation's oldest national parks, first designated in 1864, according to the NPS.

Yosemite, CA - December 08: Yosemite Falls during winter in Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025 in Yosemite, CA.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images)
6. Rocky Mountain National Park
"A land of extremes", Rocky Mountain National Park is located in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Spanning 415 square miles, Rocky Mountain National Park is home to beautiful mountain peaks and pristine alpine lakes.
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COLORADO, UNITED STATES - 2016/07/17: Entrance sign for Rocky Mountain National Park.
(Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Rocky Mountain National Park occupies only a small part of the 200-mile long Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, according to the NPS.
The national park offers a wide variety of things to do year-round, including hiking, camping, biking, wildlife viewing and much more.

Glacial cirque, headwall, and tarn, Chasm Lake and Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park.
(Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
7. Acadia National Park
Located in Maine, Acadia National Park attracted 4,079,318 visitors in 2025.
Acadia is known as the "Crown jewel of the Atlantic Coast" and is mostly located on Mount Desert Island, the largest island off the coast of Maine.
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Thunder Hole, Acadia National Park, Maine
(Karla Ann Cote/NurPhoto / Getty Images)
The park is made up of 50,000 acres, of which there are more than 150 miles of hiking trails.
Acadia National Park is famous for its sunrises, sweeping forests and beautiful mountains.

Acadia, ME - August 1: Hikers explore Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park on August 1, 2025.
(Heather Diehl/The Boston Globe / Getty Images)
8. Grand Teton National Park
Another Wyoming national park, Grand Teton National Park, was the eighth-most visited park with 3,800,648 visitors.
The stunning mountain scenery that makes up the park spans 485 square miles, with the Teton Range spanning 7,000 feet above the valley of Jackson Hole.

MOOSE, USA - SEPT. 9: Tourists watch a moose and calf walk through the Sawmill Ponds in Grand Teton National Park near Moose, Wyo. on Sept. 9, 2024.
(Amber Baesler for The Washington Post / Getty Images)
Grand Teton National Park was established in 1929, according to the NPS.
In the wintertime, the snowy peaks of Grand Teton make it a noteworthy site for visitors. There's a variety of things to do in the warmer months of the year, including camping, hiking and mountaineering.
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UNITED STATES - 2011/07/10: The Colter Bay Marina on Jackson Lake in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, United States.
(Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket / Getty Images)
9. Olympic National Park
Taking the ninth spot for the most-popular park in 2025 is Olympic National Park in Washington.
The national park is known for its vast geology spanning from mountains and lakes to glaciers.

Hoh River along the Hoh River Trail in Olympic National Park in Washington State on Saturday, June 25, 2022.
(Thomas O'Neill/NurPhoto / Getty Images)
Olympic National Park saw 3,584,187 visitors in 2025.
Located in Western Washington on the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park was first established as a national monument in 1909 and redesignated as a national park in 1938.
Visitors to the park can enjoy many outdoor activities, including boating and paddling on the lakes, fishing, tidepooling, camping and so much more.
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Haystacks, Sea stacks rocks Olympic National Park at sunset show rock formations, Lapush, Washington, Ruby Beach.
(Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
10. Glacier National Park
Rounding out the top 10 most-visited parks in total was Glacier National Park in Montana with 3,136,557 visitors.
Glacier National Park showcases massive melting glaciers, stunning lakes and alpine meadows.

FILE - An entrance to Glacier National Park in St. Mary, Montana, on October 19, 2023.
(JOSH EDELSON/AFP / Getty Images)
As time goes on, more of the many glaciers in the national park shrink or melt altogether, an act of climate change.
Glacier National Park also offers excellent photo opportunities unlike anywhere else in the U.S.
The national park features more than 700 miles of trails. Hiking, biking and camping are some of visitors' favorite activities.
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Periglacial patterned ground, stone stripes, Glacier National Park, Montana.
(Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
All 10 national parks on 2025's list were the most visited in 2024, though Yellowstone and Yosemite moved up a slot on the list and Olympic National Park shifted from eighth most-visited to ninth most-visited park.
National Park Week, a week to celebrate the 110th birthday of the National Park Service and all it offers, will take place on Aug. 22-30, 2026.
During this week, parks across the nation will host patriotic programs, guided tours, educational exhibits and family activities that connect visitors to America’s past, present and future.
On Aug. 25, 2026, to honor the National Park Service's birthday, all entrance fees into national parks will be waived for U.S. residents.
