Did someone forget us? The 10 least visited National Parks in 2023

“Did someone forget about us?”

In 2023, the United States’ least visited national parks offered escapes for those looking to explore the country’s natural beauty away from the crowds. These parks, from the remote expanses of Gates of the Arctic in Alaska to the tropical paradise of the National Park of American Samoa, provided unique opportunities for adventure and solitude.

Despite their stunning landscapes and rich biodiversity, they remained largely unnoticed by the masses, making them ideal destinations for visitors seeking a more intimate experience with nature.

These lesser-known parks, including the rugged wilderness of Lake Clark and the historical depths of Dry Tortugas, catered to a diverse range of interests—from hiking and kayaking to wildlife watching and stargazing. Their relative obscurity preserved their serene atmosphere, allowing for a more personal connection with the environment.

In a year when many sought to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, these national parks stood out as havens of peace and natural beauty, proving that the path less traveled often leads to some of the most breathtaking destinations the United States has to offer.

RELATED:
Most Visited National Parks in 2023
A Record-Setting Year for NPS Visitation

What were the least visited National Parks in 2023?

10. Great Basin NP: 143,265 visitors

9. Dry Tortugas NP: 84,285 visitors

8. Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES: 78,305 visitors

7. North Cascades NP: 40,351 visitors

6. Katmai NP & PRES: 33,763 visitors

5. Isle Royale NP: 28,965 visitors

4. Kobuk Valley NP: 17,616 visitors

3. Lake Clark NP & PRES: 16,728 visitors

2. National Park of American Samoa: 12,135 visitors

1. Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES: 11,045 visitors

Why these are hard-to-visit?

✈️Half of these are Alaskan National Parks which require a flight or boat to reach.

🛥️Another three require a flight or boat to reach (Isle Royale, Am. Samoa, and Dry Tortugas).

🚗That leaves two of the 10 least visited National Parks – Great Basin and North Cascades. Luckily, both you can drive to and are not super out of the way (NCNP is 3 hours from Seattle, GBNP 4.5 is hours from Vegas)

🏔️What is interesting is while the North Cascades had 40,000 visitors, the entire area (including Ross Lake/Lake Diablo) had close to 900k visitors. The discrepancy is you cannot access the NCNP via highway 20, making it harder to step foot in the park boundaries technically.

🐻I think this just shows that if there’s a barrier to entry, people are not going to jump through hoops to reach it. (Because it is understandably expensive.) That being said, I do highly recommend people visit Alaska and check out these less visited areas. They’re surreal and pristine and really highlight the natural wild we don’t experience in modern-day life.

💎I’m proud to have visited the Great Basin, Wrangell, North Cascades, and Lake Clark. I’m also stoked to set eyes on Gates of the Arctic this week and Katmai this summer.

Full Visitation Numbers for the National Parks in 2023

	Great Smoky Mountains NP	1	13,297,647	14.39%
	Grand Canyon NP	2	4,733,705	5.12%
	Zion NP	3	4,623,238	5.00%
	Yellowstone NP	4	4,501,382	4.87%
	Rocky Mountain NP	5	4,115,837	4.45%
	Yosemite NP	6	3,897,070	4.22%
	Acadia NP	7	3,879,890	4.20%
	Grand Teton NP	8	3,417,106	3.70%
	Joshua Tree NP	9	3,270,404	3.54%
	Olympic NP	10	2,947,503	3.19%
	Glacier NP	11	2,933,616	3.18%
	Cuyahoga Valley NP	12	2,860,059	3.10%
	Indiana Dunes NP	13	2,765,892	2.99%
	Hot Springs NP	14	2,502,967	2.71%
	Bryce Canyon NP	15	2,461,269	2.66%
	Gateway Arch NP	16	2,422,836	2.62%
	New River Gorge NP & PRES	17	1,707,223	1.85%
	Mount Rainier NP	18	1,674,294	1.81%
	Hawaii Volcanoes NP	19	1,620,294	1.75%
	Shenandoah NP	20	1,576,008	1.71%
	Arches NP	21	1,482,045	1.60%
	Capitol Reef NP	22	1,268,861	1.37%
	Death Valley NP	23	1,099,632	1.19%
	Badlands NP	24	1,046,400	1.13%
	Saguaro NP	25	1,010,906	1.09%
	Sequoia NP	26	980,567	1.06%
	Everglades NP	27	810,189	0.88%
	Canyonlands NP	28	800,322	0.87%
	Haleakala NP	29	791,292	0.86%
	Theodore Roosevelt NP	30	746,862	0.81%
	White Sands NP	31	729,096	0.79%
	Glacier Bay NP & PRES	32	703,659	0.76%
	Mammoth Cave NP	33	654,450	0.71%
	Kings Canyon NP	34	643,065	0.70%
	Wind Cave NP	35	592,459	0.64%
	Biscayne NP	36	571,242	0.62%
	Crater Lake NP	37	559,976	0.61%
	Petrified Forest NP	38	520,491	0.56%
	Great Sand Dunes NP & PRES	39	512,219	0.55%
	Big Bend NP	40	509,129	0.55%
	Mesa Verde NP	41	505,194	0.55%
	Denali NP & PRES	42	498,722	0.54%
	Lassen Volcanic NP	43	418,978	0.45%
	Redwood NP	44	409,105	0.44%
	Carlsbad Caverns NP	45	394,121	0.43%
	Kenai Fjords NP	46	387,525	0.42%
	Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP	47	357,069	0.39%
	Virgin Islands NP	48	343,685	0.37%
	Pinnacles NP	49	341,220	0.37%
	Channel Islands NP	50	328,746	0.36%
	Congaree NP	51	250,114	0.27%
	Guadalupe Mountains NP	52	227,340	0.25%
	Voyageurs NP	53	220,825	0.24%
	Great Basin NP	54	143,265	0.16%
	Dry Tortugas NP	55	84,285	0.09%
	Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES	56	78,305	0.08%
	North Cascades NP	57	40,351	0.04%
	Katmai NP & PRES	58	33,763	0.04%
	Isle Royale NP	59	28,965	0.03%
	Kobuk Valley NP	60	17,616	0.02%
	Lake Clark NP & PRES	61	16,728	0.02%
	National Park of American Samoa	62	12,135	0.01%
	Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES	63	11,045	0.01%