Top 10 most visited National Park Service sites in 2022
Just two sites — one a long, scenic parkway in the East and the other a recreational area in a populous West Coast metro — accounted for around 10% of all visits to all sites.
The 424 sites administered by the US National Park Service (NPS) continued to rebound from the pandemic last year, and a perennial favorite once again landed in the top spot for most visited site for 2022.
1. Blue Ridge Parkway
1. Blue Ridge Parkway, 15.71 million visits
Fog lies in the valleys as the sun comes up along the Blue Ridge Parkway near Boone, N.C., Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021.
2. Golden Gate National Recreation Area
2. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 15.64 million
People visit The Presidio, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, Sunday, May 3, 2020.
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 12.94 million
Late afternoon light streaks across golden leaves in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, Tenn. on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021.
4. Gateway National Recreation Area
4. Gateway National Recreation Area, 8.73 million
A deer crosses Atlantic Drive inside the Gateway National Recreation Area, Jan. 3, 2019, in Highlands, N.J.
5. Lincoln Memorial
5. Lincoln Memorial, 7.83 million
The Lincoln Memorial is seen before dawn, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2018, in Washington.
6. George Washington Memorial Parkway
6. George Washington Memorial Parkway, 7.4 million
A woman jogs with her baby by George Washington Memorial Parkway, across the Potomac River from the Washington Monument in Arlington, Va. on Friday, March 23, 2007.
7. Natchez Trace Parkway
7. Natchez Trace Parkway, 6.54 million
In this undated photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, cars travel along Highway 96 under the Double Arch Bridge, which is part of the Natchez Trace Parkway near Franklin, Tenn.Â
8. Gulf Islands National Seashore
8. Gulf Islands National Seashore, 5.69 million
An American flag stands outside Historic Fort Barrancas at Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola Beach, Fla. on Monday, April 4, 2011.
9. Lake Mead National Recreation Area
9. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 5.58 million
A formerly sunken boat stands upright into the air with its stern buried in the mud along the shoreline of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on June 22, 2022, near Boulder City, Nev.Â
10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 4.89 million
The names of the fallen soldiers are seen at Vietnam Veterans Memorial, ahead of Memorial Day, in Washington, Sunday, May 29, 2022.
