9. Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Ohio

Located just 22 miles from Cleveland, 113 miles from Pittsburgh, and 129 miles from Columbus, Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley is a 33,000-acre span of forests, rolling hills, and open farmlands between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Two of its most popular attractions are the 60-foot-tall Brandywine Falls waterfall and the Towpath Trail, which follows the historic route of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Since the trail is hard-packed, it’s accessible for people using wheelchairs, bicycles, and even pushing strollers.

In 2022, more than 2.9 million people visited Cuyahoga Valley. That number can be contrasted with the visitation count from 2021, when almost 2.6 million people visited the park.

8. Joshua Tree National Park

California

Located just 37 miles outside Palm Springs, California, Joshua Tree is incredibly popular. In fact, the park drew 3,058,294 visitors in 2022, down only marginally from the visitor count in 2021 of 3,064,400 people.

Visitors flock to the 800,000-acre park, which includes parts of both the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, to see its rugged landscape as well as enjoy activities such as hiking, camping, photography, rock climbing, and simply enjoying the desert scenery — including spectacular sunsets. Notably, the park is also home to most of the world’s Joshua trees, which explains its name.