Visits to national parks near Las Vegas up in 2023, and some fees are increasing

Greg Haas
·3 min read

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Visits to nine of the 11 biggest national parks near Las Vegas increased in 2023 as more people took to the outdoors after the pandemic.

The only declines in visits came in Death Valley, where major flooding closed the park from late August to mid-October, and at Zion National Park, where visits have declined since peaking at 5 million in 2021. Zion has instituted some hiking reservations and limited vehicle access since that peak to preserve visitor experiences.

It was a year that saw more national parks exploring fees, reservations and backcountry permits as Americans’ appetite for adventure grew. Maintenance costs for heavily used facilities prompted the need for more revenue at parks.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, one of the nation’s most popular destinations, saw a 3.9% increase in visits compared to last year, with about 5.8 million people using the park. That’s still far below 1995’s peak of 9.8 million visitors.

Hemenway Harbor at Lake Mead. Mar. 26, 2023 (Photo: Duncan Phenix – KLAS)
Hemenway Harbor at Lake Mead. Mar. 26, 2023 (Photo: Duncan Phenix – KLAS)

Two desert destinations — Joshua Tree National Park and the Mohave National Preserve, both in California — both had peak years for visitation. Joshua Tree visits were up 6.9%, and a whopping 52.4% more people made the trek to the Mohave National Preserve.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area also saw a huge increase — up 83.2% over 2022 levels to hit a peak of 5.2 million people using the popular destination for houseboat vacations and recreational water sports.

Here’s a look at 2023 visitation counts, along with a comparison to visits in 2022:

  • Arches National Park: 1,482,045, up 1.5%

  • Bryce Canyon National Park: 2,461,269, up 4.5%

  • Canyonlands National Park: 800,322, up 2.7%

  • Death Valley National Park: 1,099,632, down 2.5%

  • Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: 5,206,934, up 83.2%

  • Grand Canyon National Park: 4,733,705, up less than 0.1% (an increase of about 1,600 visitors)

  • Great Basin National Park: 107,526, up 15.7%

  • Joshua Tree National Park: 3,270,404, up 6.9%

  • Lake Mead National Recreation Area: 5,798,541, up 3.9%

  • Mojave National Preserve: 1,178,998, up 52.4%

  • Zion National Park: 4,623,238: down 1.5%

The pressure on campgrounds, trails and other park facilities has increased with higher visitation. Most parks have converted to reservation systems through recreation.gov, a website/app where you can pay for camp spaces and other fees.

The changes aren’t at every park. Call ahead or check park websites to see if fee increases will affect your visit.

The National Park Service has publicized the fees that are going up. Changes in store at Zion National Park as of July 1, 2024, include increases at the park’s three campgrounds, as well as a new $5 fee to use the dumping station.

A portion of the Angels Landing trail at Zion National Park. (FILE | Adobe Stock)
A portion of the Angels Landing trail at Zion National Park. (FILE | Adobe Stock)

Zion was ranked as the third-most-popular national park in a USAToday survey. Zion also increased fees on Jan. 5 for hiking permits/reservations and switched group charges to a per-person fee structure.

Glen Canyon will dramatically increase fees for larger boats, introducing a sliding fee scale on March 4. Fees for the biggest boats — over 100 feet in length — will jump from the previous $50 annual fee to the new $1,600 charge. There are no current plans for similar increases at Lake Mead.

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