Which national parks grew fastest over 10 years?
From 2015 to 2025, Redwood's recreation visits grew 128%, to 1.2 million, most of it in 2025 alone. Hot Springs (76%), Kings Canyon (67%), Pinnacles (66%) and New River Gorge (66%) came next. Only parks with at least 100,000 visits in 2015 are compared. A sudden one-year jump can come from a change in how a park counts visitors, not only from more visitors.
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Key facts
Measure: Change in recreation visits over 10 years (percent). Written from the data below.
- Redwood has the highest figure, 128.1%, followed by Hot Springs (75.9%) and Kings Canyon (66.6%).
- Glacier Bay has the lowest figure, 34.2%, followed by Zion (36.6%) and Great Basin (38.8%).
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Chartly. “Which national parks grew fastest over 10 years?” Chart. Data: National Park Service, Visitor Use Statistics, https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/ (data as of December 31, 2025). https://chart.ly/charts/fastest-growing-national-parks (accessed October 15, 2026).
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The data
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| National park | Change in recreation visits over 10 years (percent) |
|---|---|
| Redwood | 128.1 |
| Hot Springs | 75.9 |
| Kings Canyon | 66.6 |
| Pinnacles | 66.2 |
| New River Gorge | 66.1 |
| Indiana Dunes | 60.3 |
| Big Bend | 48.8 |
| Capitol Reef | 47.5 |
| Acadia | 45.1 |
| Joshua Tree | 44.8 |
| Great Sand Dunes | 44.4 |
| Kenai Fjords | 43.4 |
| Great Basin | 38.8 |
| Zion | 36.6 |
| Glacier Bay | 34.2 |
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