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If you want to escape from it all, national parks are the place to go.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve was America’s least-visited national park last year, with most of its 8.5 million acres visited for recreational purposes, according to newly released National Park Service statistics. There were just over 11,000 people.
“This is as wild and remote a place as you can find in North America,” Peter Christian, chief spokesperson for the National Park Service’s Alaska Region Public Affairs, previously told USA TODAY.
But data released Thursday shows that even Arctic Gate, like many of the least-visited parks in the United States, had more visitors last year than in 2022. has been done.
In fact, Congaree and Dry Tortugas set new visitation records in 2023. This suggests that the gems that have been hidden for so long aren’t so hidden anymore. (Joshua Tree and the New River Gorge, which also saw record visitor numbers last year, aren’t exactly hidden away.)
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Statistics also show that more tourists visited the park last spring and fall compared to the already crowded summer.
“Our National Parks tell the story of America we share. We want visitors to discover hidden gems, explore in the off-season, and find new ways to have fun in our National Parks. We are pleased to have this opportunity,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a statement..
System-wide, we saw a 4% increase across parks that track visitor numbers through 2022, although some parks, such as American Samoa National Park and the Virgin Islands, saw dramatic increases. , other parks such as Death Valley and Haleakala saw declines. The National Park Service noted that the latter two faced significant closures last year due to natural disasters.
There are 429 subdivisions within the National Park System, including national parks, battlefields, lakefronts, monuments, and more. Almost all of them recorded the number of visits they made last year.
15 least visited national parks in 2023
- Pinnacles National Park – Visitor numbers increased from 275,023 to 341,220
- Channel Islands National Park – 328,746 visits, up from 323,245 visits
- Congaree National Park – 250,114 visitors, up from 204,522
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park – 227,340 visitors, up from 219,987
- Voyagers National Park – Visitor numbers were 220,825, down from 221,434.
- Great Basin National Park – Visitor numbers increased from 142,115 to 143,265
- Dry Tortugas National Park – Visitor numbers increased from 78,488 to 84,285
- Wrangell Street Elias National Park and Reserve – Visitor numbers increased from 65,236 to 78,305
- North Cascades National Park – Visitor numbers increased from 30,154 to 40,351
- Katmai National Park and Preserve – Visitor numbers decreased from 33,908 to 33,763
- Isle Royale National Park – 28,965 visits, up from 25,454
- Kobuk Valley National Park – 17,616 visits, up from 16,925 visits
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve – 16,728 visits, down from 18,187
- American Samoa National Park – Visitor numbers increased from 1,887 to 12,134
- Gates of the Arctic National Parks and Reserves – Visits increased from 9,457 to 11,045
Source: National Park Service
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