Have you visited any of the Ten Least Visited National Parks?

There are currently 63 National Parks in the National Park Service system. You have no doubt heard of the more famous parks, such as The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Yellowstone National Park.  But did you know that the total number of annual visitors in the ten least visited National Parks equated to only a half percent (0.5%) of the total National Park visits in 2023!  Every one of the top 42 National Parks’ visits exceed the visits to the combined total of these ten parks!

There are many valid reasons for the lower attendance for these parks, but lack of beauty, wildlife or just plain coolness are not on the list. The primary reason is isolation. Many of these parks are in remote, hard to reach places. Even with their low visitations, the beauty and wonder of these parks rival any of the more ‘popular’ locations.

Let’s walk through and investigate each of the Ten Least Visited National Parks amazing places.

Great Basin National Park

This park is a hidden gem with some of the oldest living trees on earth, the bristlecone pines, and the beautifully decorated Lehman Caves. It also offers a rare combination of solitude, quiet, and dark night skies for stargazing.

Dry Tortugas National Park

Located 70 miles west of Key West, this park is accessible only by boat or seaplane and is famed for its crystal-clear waters, coral reefs teeming with marine life, and the impressive 19th-century Fort Jefferson.  For more details, check out our in-depth review on Dry Tortugas National Park.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve

As the largest national park in the United States, it’s wilderness on an epic scale.  One of the five Alaska park it features North America’s largest collection of glaciers and some of its tallest peaks, providing opportunities for adventure and exploration.

North Cascades National Park

Known for its dramatic landscape with jagged peaks, deep valleys, cascading waterfalls, and over 300 glaciers, this park is a haven for hikers, climbers, and nature lovers seeking a challenging and pristine environment.

Katmai National Park & Preserve

This park is world-renowned for bear watching at Brooks Falls, where visitors can see brown bears in their natural habitat. It’s also home to the aftermath of the 1912 Novarupta eruption, which created the surreal Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.

Isle Royale National Park

An isolated island in Lake Superior, this park offers a unique wilderness experience, with its rugged scenery, historic lighthouses, and a fascinating natural home to wolves and moose. You can even see Canada from the island on a clear day. Well, maybe.

Kobuk Valley National Park

This remote park is known for the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and the annual migration of half a million (!) caribou. It’s a place of incredible cultural significance for the Indigenous people as well.

Lake Clark National Park & Preserve

With no roads leading into the park, Lake Clark offers true isolation alongside stunning beauty, with its combination of active volcanoes, salmon-rich rivers, and a special view of the Alaskan wildlife.

National Park of American Samoa

With a distance of over 2,600 miles from Hawaii and over 4,800 miles from the coast of California, this park defines remote. The park itself protects the Polynesian culture, tropical rainforests, and vibrant coral reefs. It’s a unique ecosystem that includes flying foxes and offers a glimpse into the Samoan way of life.

And the park with the LEAST number of visits last year was…

Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve

This park is one of the last truly wild places on earth, with no trails or roads, offering an unparalleled wilderness experience for those who venture into its vast and untouched landscapes. 

Leave No Trace

Many, if not all of these locations are in remote and isolated areas. Visiting requires a commitment to keep them wild and unspoiled. The best way to accomplish this is to adhere to the Leave No Trace philosophy. Learn more about these principals and how you can make a difference in keeping wild places wild.

List of the Ten Least Visited National Parks

Ranking	Park Name	Location	2023 Attendance
54	Great Basin NP	Nevada	143,265
55	Dry Tortugas NP	Florida	84,285
56	Wrangell-St. Elias NP & PRES	Alaska	78,305
57	North Cascades NP	Washington	40,351
58	Katmai NP & PRES	Alaska	33,763
59	Isle Royale NP	Michigan	28,965
60	Kobuk Valley NP	Alaska	17,616
61	Lake Clark NP & PRES	Alaska	16,728
62	National Park of American Samoa	American Samoa	12,135
63	Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES	Alaska	11,045