This is the place Utah’s ‘Mighty 5’ visitation ranks on the listing of all nationwide parks

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SALT LAKE CITY — Visitation throughout the Nationwide Park Service system returned to the closest it has been to pre-pandemic ranges final yr, in keeping with just lately launched knowledge.

Visitation throughout all the United States Nationwide Park Service system reached 325.5 million visits in 2023, a rise of 4% from 2022. The ultimate tally additionally fell simply 0.6% from the 2019 complete. Recreation customer hours additionally jumped 4%, to 1.4 billion hours, whereas the variety of guests utilizing concession-operated lodging elevated 5%, regardless of a drop in in a single day stays at parks.

The whole takes under consideration all visitation on the nation’s 64 nationwide parks, in addition to monuments, recreation areas, historic parks and different property overseen by the park service.

“Our nationwide parks inform our shared American story,” Nationwide Park Service Director Chuck Sams mentioned in an announcement. “I am glad guests are discovering hidden gems, exploring within the low season and discovering new methods to have a good time in our nationwide parks.”

So, the place do Utah’s nationwide parks, which introduced in 10.6 million visits in 2023, rank in reputation?

Utah’s nationwide parks

Zion Nationwide Park stays Utah’s hottest nationwide park and its excessive standing amongst western parks additionally stays unchanged. It drew 4.6 million visits in 2023, falling behind the Grand Canyon’s 4.7 million visits that topped all western parks.

Zion led the West in 2021, briefly snatching the crown from its southern neighbor. Grand Canyon and Zion nationwide parks positioned second and third, respectively, behind the nationwide winner yearly: Nice Smoky Mountains Nationwide Park. Break up between North Carolina and Tennessee, the park generated almost 13.3 million visits final yr.

Yellowstone (4.5 million visits) and Rocky Mountain (4.1 million visits) rounded out the highest 5. Yosemite, Acadia, Grand Teton, Joshua Tree and Olympic nationwide parks — all of which introduced in not less than 2.9 million visits — accomplished the highest 10. Grand Teton and Olympic nationwide parks are newcomers to the annual high 10.

The remainder of Utah’s gems land slightly farther down the listing. Bryce Canyon Nationwide Park ended up fifteenth on the listing, bringing in almost 2.5 million visits. Arches Nationwide Park’s near 1.5 million visits made it the twentieth most-visited park within the nation, simply forward of Capitol Reef’s Twenty first-place end in 2023 (1.3 million visits).

Canyonlands Nationwide Park (800,322 visits) ended up twenty seventh amongst all nationwide parks.

Gates of the Arctic Nationwide Park and Protect was final yr’s least-visited park, as slightly greater than 11,000 folks ventured into the distant Alaska surprise. Nationwide Park of American Samoa (12,135 visits), Lake Clark Nationwide Park and Protect (16,728 visits), Kobuk Nationwide Park (17,616 visits) and Isle Royale Nationwide Park (28,965 visits) rounded out the 5 least-visited parks in 2023.

Lake Powell’s top-10 end

The Nationwide Park Service oversees extra than simply nationwide parks, which account for slightly greater than 1 / 4 of all park service visits.

The company can also be in control of defending all kinds of nationwide monuments, recreation areas, parkways, historic websites and plenty of different classes. It manages over 400 locations altogether.

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The 469-mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia, dubbed “America’s Favourite Drive,” counted virtually 16.8 million visits final yr, to high the entire company’s property in 2023. It was adopted by the Golden Gate Nationwide Recreation Space’s almost 15 million visits.

Glen Canyon Nationwide Recreation Space, together with Lake Powell, was the highest-visited Nationwide Park Service web site in Utah in 2023, and it additionally ended up tenth amongst each web site within the federal system final yr. Its file 5.2 million visits positioned simply behind Lake Mead Nationwide Recreation Space’s 5.8 million visits.

Each reservoirs alongside the Colorado River skilled vital inflow of water, because of final yr’s sturdy regional snowpack and efforts to protect the reservoirs from collapsing, which can have led to every faring so nicely.

Glen Canyon officers famous on Tuesday some parts of the recreation areas doubled in visitation final yr. As an illustration, the Lees Ferry District jumped from 1 million visits in 2022 to 2.2 million visits in 2023.

Michelle Kerns, superintendent at Glen Canyon Nationwide Recreation Space and Rainbow Bridge Nationwide Monument, mentioned the numbers appear to point the general public’s need to benefit from the “big selection of leisure alternatives” accessible close to the Utah-Arizona border.

“Whereas Lake Powell continues to offer vital leisure alternatives, extra persons are additionally recognizing the unparalleled land-based and river-based recreation choices and cultural and historic sources inside our 1.25 million acres,” she mentioned in an announcement. “Glen Canyon continues to be an financial engine for the area in Utah and Arizona and is very necessary to our gateway communities.”

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