National Park Service hit record number of visitors in 2024

The National Park Service (NPS) has announced a historic milestone in 2024, with a record-setting 331.9 million recreation visits across the park system. This marks an increase of 6.36 million visits—approximately 2% more than 2023—surpassing the previous record set in 2016.

Record-Breaking Visitation and Trends

The surge in national park visits reflects a growing appreciation for outdoor recreation and the diverse experiences that America’s public lands offer. In addition to the total number of visitors, the data reveals:

• Recreation visitor hours reached an astounding 1.4 billion.
• Overnight stays in both concession and NPS-operated facilities increased by 2.6% from 2023, with concession-operated lodging seeing a remarkable 11.7% rise.
• Of the 433 units in the National Park System, 404 reported visitor use in 2024.
• Four new parks began reporting visitation for the first time this year.
• 28 parks (7% of those reporting) set new annual visitation records.

More Evenly Distributed Visitation

One of the most interesting takeaways from the data is how visitors spread out their trips throughout the year. Traditionally, summer months see the highest levels of park visitation, but 2024 showed a shift:

• 55% of parks experienced an above-average number of visits during the typically off-peak months of February – June and October – December.
• 38 parks recorded above-average visitation for every month of the year, indicating a growing trend of year-round park engagement.

What’s Driving the Increased Interest?

Several factors may be contributing to this surge in national park interest. The continued emphasis on outdoor recreation following the pandemic years, increased accessibility to parks, and the rise of social media-driven travel trends have all played a role.

Additionally, initiatives to promote lesser-visited parks and shoulder-season travel appear to be gaining traction, easing pressure on traditionally overcrowded destinations.

Problems May Lie Ahead

With visitation seemingly increasing yearly, it will be a surprise if we don’t break this record again. With Trump administration cuts targeting public officials working at the NPS, the experience could be far different than most visitors expect.

People should anticipate longer delays, lack of clean up and sanitary crews, harder to access campground reservations, and honestly who knows what else. We’re in uncharted territory with the attacks on these public servants. I don’t have enough imagination of how bad it could get.

Until next time, adventurers, stay safe.

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