WASHINGTON — The National Park Service (NPS) announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million recreational visits in 2023. That's an increase of 13 million visitors, or 4%, over 2022.
In addition to the continued growth in overall numbers, NPS data shows that visitation is increasing in the more traditional off-seasons at many parks, with more visits in the spring and fall than seen in years past, NPS said in a press release.
Twenty parks broke visitation records in 2023, including D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial.
“From Kaloko Honokōhau National Historical Park in Hawai'i to Congaree National Park in South Carolina, parks are attracting more visitors each year to learn about our shared history," National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a statement. “Our national parks tell our shared American story. I'm glad visitors are finding hidden gems, exploring in the off-season and finding new ways to have a great time in our national parks.”
The 20 parks that broke visitation records in 2023 are:
- Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
- Congaree National Park
- Dry Tortugas National Park
- Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
- Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
- John Muir National Historic Site
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Kaloko Honokōhau National Historical Park
- Keweenaw National Historical Park
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
- Lincoln Memorial
- Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site
- Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park
- Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Memorial
- Minidoka National Historic Site
- Mojave National Preserve
- New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
- Nez Perce National Historical Park
- Ninety Six National Historic Site
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