Least Visited National Parks In the United States

The United States is home to 58 different national parks and over 300 units or areas such as national monuments and national seashores that are protected by the National Park Service. The first national park to come into existence in the U.S. was Yellowstone (located in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) on March 1, 1872. Today, it is one of the most visited parks in the country. Other popular parks in the U.S. include Yosemite in California, the Grand Canyon in Arizona and the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Each of these parks sees millions of visitors each year. There are many other national parks in the U.S. however that receive far fewer annual visitors. The following is a list of the ten least visited national parks through August 2009. The list is arranged by the number of visitors in that year and begins with the least visited park in the U.S. Information was obtained from the Los Angeles Times article, "America's Hidden Gems: The 20-Least Crowded National Parks in 2009."

Least Visited National Parks

1. Kobuk Valley National Park
   Number of Visitors: 1,250
   Location: Alaska
2. National Park of American Samoa
   Number of Visitors: 2,412
   Location: American Samoa
3. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
   Number of Visitors: 4,134
   Location: Alaska
4. Katmai National Park and Preserve
   Number of Visitors: 4,535
   Location: Alaska
5. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
   Number of Visitors: 9,257
   Location: Alaska
6. Isle Royale National Park
   Number of Visitors: 12,691
   Location: Michigan
7. North Cascades National Park
   Number of Visitors: 13,759
   Location: Washington
8. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
   Number of Visitors: 53,274
   Location: Alaska
9. Great Basin National Park
   Number of Visitors: 60,248
   Location: Nevada
10. Congaree National Park
    Number of Visitors: 63,068
    Location: South Carolina

References

• Ramos, Kelsey. (n.d.). "America's Hidden Gems: The 20 Least Crowded National Parks in 2009." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from: http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-national-parks-least-visited-pg,0,1882660.photogallery