Top Most and Least Crowded U.S. National Parks Revealed

Crowded National Parks in the U.S.

National parks play a crucial role in protecting and preserving the natural environment while granting public access to the nation’s most beautiful, unique, and historic places. However, open public access often results in overcrowding. The National Park Service (NPS) reported approximately 312 million recreation visits in 2022 alone—a 5 percent increase from the previous year.

As any seasoned park visitor understands, there are numerous strategies to avoid crowds: arriving at the park early, visiting on a weekday, or planning your trip during the park’s tranquil season. Nevertheless, some parks are inherently more crowded than others.

To comprehensively analyze the crowdedness of national parks this summer, HawaiianIslands.com—an esteemed source for restaurants, attractions, and vacation rentals—examined NPS data to identify which parks experience the highest and lowest visitor density.

Hot Springs National Park: The Most Crowded Park

Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas is renowned for its historic bathhouses fed by ancient thermal springs. Moreover, this park is relatively small, encompassing just 5,550 acres (22.5 km²) and incorporating parts of the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The park’s limited area makes it particularly prone to overcrowding, with the study indicating that it attracts an astonishing 11.7 million annual visitors per 100 km² (approximately 24,710 acres). Consequently, summer, which constitutes the park’s peak season, witnesses especially large crowds.

Following Hot Springs National Park, the study noted New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia (72,808 acres) and Indiana Dunes National Park in Indiana (15,070 acres) as having dense visitor numbers.

Least Crowded National Parks in the U.S.

In stark contrast to Hot Springs National Park is Alaska’s Gates of the Arctic National Park, recognized as the least crowded park in the U.S. This park, situated in the rugged wilderness of Alaska, is vast—spanning 8,472,506 acres (34,287 km²)—which ensures ample space for each visitor. The findings indicate that this remarkable park sees only 31 annual visitors per 100 km², a striking difference compared to the 11.7 million visitors per 100 km² that Hot Springs experiences.

Notably, visitors to Gates of the Arctic National Park—America’s northernmost national park, accessible solely by local air taxis from Fairbanks, Alaska—tend to invest more in their trips. Travelers reportedly spend an average of $1,629 per person to explore this majestic park.

Four additional national parks within Alaska followed Gates of the Arctic in terms of low visitor density: Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kobuk Valley National Park. Furthermore, in the contiguous U.S., the remote Isle Royale National Park in Michigan was noted for its exceptionally low visitor count.