National forest visitors continue to make the Smoky Mountains their No. 1 location, every year. According to new reports from the National forest Service, the park invited over 13 million visitors in 2023, marking its second-highest year ever taped.
There’s no doubt that visitors can’t get enough of what the Smokies has to provide. Specifically in the summertime and fall months, people flock from all over to get a glance of the park’s majesty. With over 800 hiking routes and an unlimited quantities of wildlife and plants, there’s no lack of things to do in the park. From June to October, the park welcomed over one million visitors each month.
In the last 10 years, the Smokies averages 12 million visitors every year. In 2021, the park struck a record high when over 14 million people selected the park as their ideal destination, as the COVID-19 pandemic led people to venture more outdoors.
Although outside enthusiasts constantly make the Tennessee-North Carolina park their preferred pick, it has disadvantages. From hours-long traffic hold-ups to park closures to deadly accidents, a boost in visitors can mean less-than-ideal outcomes.
Professionals looked at the variety of deaths that occurred in national forests between July 2013 and July 2023 to identify the most unsafe national forests in the country. When it comes to how the GSMNP fared, it ranked number four on the list, with 104 deaths in the last decade.
In addition, more than a third of the casualties were driving-related. Additionally, most of the fatalities occurred in September, when the park saw an increase in visitors.
The Blue Ridge Parkway, a picturesque 469-mile route that takes drivers through Virginia and North Carolina, was the fifth-most deadly park. It saw 100 deaths in the last 10 years, with automobile accidents being the primary cause of death.
How National Parks Ranked for Deaths From July 2013-June 2023
- Lake Mead National Leisure Location: 203 deaths
- Yosemite National Forest: 152 deaths
- Grand Canyon National Park: 136 deaths
- Excellent Smoky Mountains National Park: 104 deaths
- Blue Ridge Parkway: 100 deaths
- Natchez Trace Parkway: 89 deaths
- Baltimore-Washington Parkway: 83 deaths
- Glen Canyon National Entertainment Area: 75 deaths
- Golden Gate National Entertainment Location: 70 deaths
- Yellowstone National Park: 53 deaths
The Smoky Mountains National Parl invited over 13 million visitors in 2023, marking its second-highest year ever recorded.