The brand-new national forest visitor numbers remain in. The National forest Service states in 2023, 325.5 million people went to an NPS site, including national parks, nationwide historical sites, and more. In reality, last year saw an increase of 4%, or about 13 million visitors from 2022.
According to the official news release, while many parks saw consistent crowds from past years or a slight increase, 20 parks set records for visitation. Even more unexpected, a lot of those NPS websites are not one of the 63 national forests or include lesser-known parks.
These numbers are good news for everyone as they reveal people are spreading out to more parks and checking out less widely known destinations.
“From Kaloko Honokōhau National Historic Park in Hawai’i to Congaree National Park in South Carolina, parks are attracting more visitors each year to learn more about our shared history,” National forest Service Director Chuck Sams said. “Our national parks inform our shared American story. I’m pleased visitors are discovering covert gems, checking out in the off-season and discovering new methods to have a good time in our national parks.”
The National Park Service handles more than 85 million acres of land, so there are a lot of new parks and websites to explore.
Record-Setting National Forest Service Locations
Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve. (Source: Matt Artz) Here are the 20 NPS destinations that set records in 2023:
- Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
- Congaree National Park
- Dry Tortugas National Forest
- Glacier Bay National Forest & Preserve
- Glen Canyon National Recreation Location
- Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
- John Muir National Historic Site
- Joshua Tree National Forest
- Kaloko Honokōhau National Historic Park
- Keweenaw National Historic Park
- Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park
- Lincoln Memorial
- Longfellow Home Washington’s Head office National Historic Site
- Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park
- Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Memorial
- Minidoka National Historic Website
- Mojave National Maintain
- New River Canyon National Park & Preserve
- Nez Perce National Historic Park
- Ninety 6 National Historic Website The
NPS says regardless of these great national forest visitor numbers, there were some battles this year. Natural catastrophes caused headaches for lots of parks in 2023. Popular destinations like Death Valley National forest closed for long stretches in 2015 after flooding destroyed streets.
What park are you wanting to check out in 2024?
The new national park visitor numbers are in. The National forest Service says in 2023, 325.5 million people went to an NPS site.