3. Zion National Park

Utah

Zion National Park is well known for rock climbing, river trips, and hiking trails because it’s home to the 15-mile-long Zion Canyon. Two of the park’s most-popular hiking trails are the Narrows and Angels Landing — a 5.4-mile-long (one-way) trail that has an elevation change of 1,488 feet and offers a spectacular view of the Zion Canyon 1,500 feet below.

In 2022, just short of 4.7 million people visited Zion. On the one hand, that number is down from the 5 million visitors that set a new attendance record at Zion in 2021, however it’s still higher than the 4.5 million count logged in the pre-pandemic year 2019.

2. Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona

Grand Canyon National Park is world famous for its hiking, backpacking, and, due to the magnificent vistas, photography and sightseeing. There are also 277 miles of the Colorado River within the park’s boundaries, so boating and rafting are also popular activities.

In 2022, more than 4.7 million people visited Grand Canyon National Park. While that visitor count is up from 2021, when 4.5 million people visited the park, it is still down noticeably from the 6 million visitors logged at Grand Canyon in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Tennessee, North Carolina

Great Smoky Mountains owes much of its popularity to its more than 800 miles of hiking trails, what the park calls “cascading waterfalls,” and more than 500,000 acres of forest that’s home to a wide variety of wildlife — including approximately 1,500 black bears and more than 1,500 flowering plant species.

On the other hand, another reason the park receives so many visitors is that it is an easy drive from Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Washington, D.C.