Great Smoky Mountains National Park had nearly triple the number of Grand Canyon visitors in 2023
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is by far the most visited national park in the country. It's not even close.
The Smokies welcomed 13.3 million visitors in 2023, its second-highest year on record.
The National Park Service released its visitation numbers for 2023, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park had a 3% increase from 2022.
June through October were the busiest, with over 1 million visits in each of those months, according to the report.
“This year’s data shows that Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to resonate with millions of visitors,” park Superintendent Cassius Cash said in a press release. “People come here to build deeper connections with the park, seek adventures and make new discoveries.”
The Smokies have averaged nearly 12 million visits per year over the past decade. The highest record was set in 2021 when over 14 million visitors headed to the park in search of outdoor activities amid the COVID pandemic.
The most visited national parks in 2023
The National Park Service reported a total of 325.5 million visits to over 400 sites in 2023. That’s an increase of 13 million from 2022.
The top 10 visited national parks in 2023 were:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (13.29 million)
Grand Canyon National Park (4.73 million)
Zion National Park (4.62 million)
Yellowstone National Park (4.50 million)
Rocky Mountain National Park (4.11 million)
Yosemite National Park (3.89 million)
Acadia National Park (3.87 million)
Grand Teton National Park (3.41 million)
Joshua Tree National Park (3.27 million)
Olympic National Park (2.94 million)
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter @dturner1208.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Great Smoky Mountains National Park nearly triples Grand Canyon visits
