More than 13 million visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2023

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) - The National Park Service has released how many visitors visited each national park in 2023, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park again topped the list.

According to the NPS, the GSMNP accounted for 13.3 million visits out of the more than 325 million total visits to national parks across the country in 2023.

Officials said visitation to the GSMNP was 3% higher than in 2022 and the second-highest year on record for the park.

June through October were the busiest months, with over 1 million monthly visits. Over the last decade, the park has averaged nearly 12 million visits annually.

“This year’s data shows that Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues to resonate with millions of visitors,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “People come here to build deeper connections with the park, seek adventures, and make new discoveries.”

It was again the country’s most visited park in 2023 by a large margin. The second most visited park was the Grand Canyon National Park, which had 4.73 million visitors, according to the NPS.