Here are the top national parks in the country, recommended by visitors

Gianna Melillo
·2 min read
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Story at a glance

  • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park were among the most-recommended by past visitors.

  • Findings are based on survey responses collected in September 2022.

  • Among the most-visited parks, Death Valley National Park is the least likely to be strongly recommended.

The United States is home to over 60 national parks, but for visitors, some stand out more than others.

Among those who have visited it, 84 percent strongly recommend the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

That’s according to a new YouGov poll that assessed recommendations for the 25 most-visited parks in the country. Findings are based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, carried out in September 2022.

Eighty-four percent of visitors also recommend Yellowstone National Park, which spans parts of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, and is home to around half of the world’s active geysers.

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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was the third most-recommended, according to visitors, and was followed by the Great Smoky Mountains National park, located in North Carolina and Tennessee, and Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

Yosemite, Sequoia, Redwood, Zion and Bryce Canyon rounded out the top ten most highly recommended parks.

Although the Grand Canyon National Park was the most highly recommended, it trailed behind the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when it comes to parks Americans are most likely to have visited.

Twenty percent of U.S. adults have also visited Everglades National Park at some point in their life, while the same percentage have visited Redwood National Park. In contrast, just nine percent of adults have visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, despite it being one of the most highly recommended.

Among the top most-visited parks, Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada is the least likely to be strongly recommended, along with Joshua Tree National Park and Gateway Arch National park.

Although the number of visitors to national parks declined significantly in 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, totals rebounded in 2021, rising from 237 million visitors to 297 million.

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