15 Most Popular National Parks in America
Annual visitors: 15.1 million
Location: North Carolina and Virginia
Size: 436 miles
Founded: 1936
Highlights: Known as “America’s Favorite Drive,” the parkway connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Along the way, it offers hiking trails, campsites and breathtaking views.
Annual visitors: 14.9 million
Location: San Francisco
Size: 125 square miles
Founded: 1972
Highlights: This park offers everything from whale watching along the Muir Beach Overlook to history lessons at Fort Mason. It’s also the perfect spot for a picnic in the shadow of San Francisco’s famous red bridge.
Annual visitors: 10.7 million
Location: North Carolina and Tennessee
Size: 816 square miles
Founded: 1934
Highlights: The most popular destination in this park is Cades Cove, a valley circled by an 11-mile one-way hiking and biking trail. It’s home to several restored historic structures as well wildlife like black bears and white-tailed deer.
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Annual visitors: 7.9 million
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 164 acres
Founded: 1922
Highlights: This iconic D.C. landmark was modeled after Greece’s Parthenon. The Memorial was also the site of Martin Luther King’s historic I Have a Dream Speech.
Annual visitors: 7.3 million
Location: Temple Bar Marina, Ariz.
Size: 2,337 square miles
Founded: 1936
Highlights: It may be in the middle of the desert, but lakes Mead and Mohave offer plenty of chances for water sports like fishing, kayaking, and canoeing. Beyond the water, hikers will find thousands of desert wildlife.
Annual visitors: 7.3 million
Location: Washington, D.C., and Alexandria, Va.
Size: 25 miles
Founded: 1930
Highlights: The parkland surrounding the Parkway offers visitors a chance to explore nature or to learn about history. The 485-acre Dyke Marsh, for example, is one of the largest tidal wetlands in the region, while the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial features a statue of the iconic photo of the second flag raising at Iwo Jima.
Annual visitors: 6.4 million
Location: Sandy Hook, N.J., and Jamaica Bay and Staten Island, N.Y.
Size: 42 square miles
Founded: 1972
Highlights: This recreation area is broken into non-contiguous parks throughout the New York metro region. All three offer camping, beaches and bike paths.
Annual visitors: 5.8 million
Location: Mississippi to Tennessee
Size: 444 miles
Founded: 1938
Highlights: The Old Trace path was used by Native Americans and settlers, and now visitors can experience it via driving, hiking, biking or horseback riding. History buffs will also enjoy the Tupelo National Battlefield and Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield located along the path near Tupelo, Mississippi.
Annual visitors: 5.6 million
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 2 acres
Founded: 1982
Highlights: “The Wall” lists the names of 88,272 soldiers who served in Vietnam (both living and dead), including about 1,200 who are still listed as missing. Visitors often bring paper and charcoal to create a rubbing of an important name to them.
Annual visitors: 5.5 million
Location: Arizona
Size: 1,902 square miles
Founded: 1919
Highlights: One of the most famous parks in the system, its namesake ravine is 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide and a mile deep. The park service offers free shuttles to the South Rim, which includes Grand Canyon Village, Scenic Hermit Road and Desert View Drive.
Annual visitors: 5.1 million
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 7.4 acres
Founded: 2004
Highlights: This memorial honors the 400,000 Americans who gave their lives during the Second World War. Bronze sculptures and stone architecture tell the story of America’s part in the war and surround a memorial pool and fountain.
Annual visitors: 4.8 million
Location: Hagerstown, Md.
Size: 185 miles
Founded: 1938
Highlights: The C&O Canal began as a way for communities along the Potomac River to transport lumber, coal and other products. VIsitors can now ride in a replica boat drawn by mules, which historically tugged the boats since they were heartier and cheaper than horses.
Annual visitors: 4.6 million
Location: New York City
Size: 44,000 square feet
Founded: 1808
Highlights: Located on the Southern tip of Manhattan in Battery Park, Castle Clinton (originally known as Southwest Battery) was built to prevent a British invasion during the War of 1812. After the war, the building served as an immigration depot and then as home of the New York City Aquarium before being restored and re-opened in 1975.
Annual visitors: 4.5 million
Location: Wellfleet, Mass.
Size: 68 square miles
Founded: 1961
Highlights: This public beach has six swimming beaches, but it also has walking, hiking and biking trails, as well as cranberry bogs. This park has many free, ranger-guided activities, such as yoga on the beach, campfires, canoe trips and evening lectures.
Annual visitors: 4.3 million
Location: Philadelphia
Size: 55 acres
Founded: 1956
Highlights: Visitors to this park, home to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, take a trip back to 1776 and celebrate Ben Franklin and the founding of America. Spanning 20 city blocks throughout historic Philadelphia, the park also includes Washington Square, a landscaped park that houses the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution.