Which U.S. national park is the most visited each year?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States each year. Its high visitation comes from its accessible location, scenic mountain roads, extensive forests, and free admission.

The park straddles Tennessee and North Carolina along the crest of the Great Smoky Mountains. It protects one of the largest blocks of temperate forest in the eastern United States, along with historic buildings, streams, waterfalls, and exceptionally diverse wildlife. The Smokies are also internationally recognized for their plant and animal diversity.

Visitor totals can change from year to year, but Great Smoky Mountains has consistently led the National Park Service’s national-park visitation rankings in the modern era. A common mix-up is comparing it with heavily visited park-system sites such as Blue Ridge Parkway or Golden Gate National Recreation Area; those are not national parks, even though they can attract more visitors in some rankings.