America’s national parks have never been more popular. In 2024, the National Park Service notched a record-high 331.9 million recreation visits at more than 400 sites across the country. That number beat the previous record of 330.9 million recreation visits set in 2016. Yet buried underneath those staggering totals is a very different story – one of parks so overlooked, so remote, or so logistically demanding that most Americans never even consider visiting them. A park’s popularity can depend on many things, including ease of access, perceived natural beauty, social popularity, and recreational opportunities. The following ten parks sit at the absolute bottom of the visitation rankings, and understanding why tells us something fascinating about how Americans choose to travel.
1. Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, Alaska – 11,907 Visits in 2024
The least-visited national park in America remains Gates of the Arctic, with just 11,907 visitors in 2024. Located entirely north of the Arctic Circle, this vast wilderness area has no roads or trails, offering true backcountry adventure for those willing to charter a bush plane to reach its boundaries. Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve spans 8.4 million acres, so there are thousands of miles of scenery to explore – should you have the resources to do so. The sheer cost and effort required to get here puts it firmly out of reach for most travelers.
There are no paved roads, visitor centers, or established campgrounds in Gates of the Arctic. Visitation peaked at 12,669 in 2014, fell to just 2,872 in 2020, and climbed up to 11,907 in 2024. Given that the park hosts neither official trails nor roads by which visitors can access the area, the only ways in are by air taxi from Fairbanks or an off-trail hike through unkempt terrain. Cell phones don’t work here and you are on your own. The only hint of civilization is the noise from the occasional airplane.
2. North Cascades National Park, Washington – 16,485 Visits in 2024
One of the most underrated national parks out west, North Cascades saw only 16,485 visitors in 2024. This destination hasn’t always seen such low traffic, though. According to NPS Visitor Use Statistics, the park recorded 917,581 visitors in 1978. As North Cascades’ Deputy Chief of Visitor Services Katy Hooper told The Bellingham Herald in 2024, pre-1990 numbers got a boost due to the park’s visitorship being grouped in with that of Lake Chelan and Ross Lake national recreation areas. The shift in how visitors are counted dramatically changed how the park appears in the data.
The rugged and hard-to-access North Cascades reached a new low, with 24,000 fewer visitors in 2024 than in 2023. North Cascades is the least visited, the most difficult to access all around, and perhaps the most rewarding for those who dare. After wilderness designation, North Cascades was eliminated from any hope of having roads. Of course, that’s going to cut into the number of people who explore its epic terrain. A backpacker’s paradise to be sure, but it’s just not very approachable for the average national park enthusiast.
3. Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska – 17,233 Visits in 2024
There are no roads, campgrounds or entrance gates for this 1.8 million-acre expanse’s human visitors. Located entirely north of the Arctic Circle, Kobuk Valley National Park is among the least visited parks in America. Though nearly totally unknown, the park is full of wildlife and scenic wonders. The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes are like the Sahara but with wolves, moose, and cranes. Onion Portage is an archaeological district with evidence of human use for the past 12,000 years.
Getting to the parks is expensive and time-consuming, and the parks have no infrastructure. There is no way around it – you have to fly to visit these two parks. You can fly from a few places in Alaska, such as Fairbanks and Delta Junction, but the quickest flight is from Kotzebue. Flights out of Anchorage to Kotzebue on Alaska Airlines are typical, and visitors should plan to spend extra days waiting for suitable weather conditions. The combination of extreme remoteness, zero amenities, and unpredictable Arctic weather keeps most visitors away entirely.
4. Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Alaska – 18,505 Visits in 2024
Stretching across more than 4 million acres, this national park and preserve is home to three designated Wild Rivers and abundant wildlife. Consider Alaska’s Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. This site’s lack of developed roads and remote location contribute to it getting less than 20,000 visitors a year. The scenery is extraordinary – ranging from smoking volcanoes and glacier-carved valleys to wild rivers – but the access problem is enormous.
The only problem, as is the case with most of the Alaska parks, is getting there. Getting to Lake Clark, while not quite as difficult as Gates of the Arctic or Kobuk Valley, is still pretty tough. Visitors must take a small plane to reach jumping-off points into the park. The cost? Around $1,000 for a day trip, and upwards of $3,000 to $5,000 for a multi-day adventure. For most American families working with a typical vacation budget, that price point alone is enough to send them to Yellowstone instead.
5. National Park of American Samoa – 22,567 Visits in 2024
The 8,256-acre National Park of American Samoa is a unique and remote destination located across three islands – Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta’ū – in the South Pacific. It is also one of the few U.S. National Parks that protect tropical rainforest. The islands are also home to some of the most pristine coral reefs in the Pacific, providing excellent opportunities for snorkeling and observing marine life in its natural habitat.
With just 22,567 visitors in 2024, this tropical paradise remains one of America’s best-kept secrets. Located on three islands in the South Pacific, this park preserves pristine rainforests, coral reefs, and Samoan cultural sites. Visitors can hike through lush jungle to stunning ocean vistas, snorkel among vibrant coral gardens, and experience the Samoan way of life in villages within and around the park boundaries. You have to really want to see the National Park of American Samoa to make that journey. Most Americans simply aren’t aware it exists, and for those who are, the travel logistics and cost present a significant barrier.
6. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan – 28,806 Visits in 2024
This remote island in Lake Superior hosted 28,806 visitors in 2024. Accessible only by boat or seaplane, Isle Royale offers remarkable solitude and a unique ecosystem isolated from the mainland. The island is famous for its wolf and moose populations, extensive hiking trail network, and opportunities for kayaking along its rugged shoreline. There are fewer mammal species here – only 18 – than on the mainland, because animals must cross at least 14 miles of Lake Superior to reach the island.
Its location – a network of 450 islands out in Lake Superior – requires a ferry ride, personal boat, or seaplane ride to access. You then pick from the north or south ports of the island and explore a roadless wilderness. Getting to the main island requires a two-hour ferry ride (the shortest route) and costs $60 to $100 per passenger. Isle Royale has the longest average-visit time – 4.5 days – of any U.S. national park. That’s probably because it takes so much effort to get there that people want to stay and get their money’s worth.
7. Katmai National Park & Preserve, Alaska – 36,230 Visits in 2024
Known for the world-famous Brooks Falls, where bears gather to catch salmon, Katmai received 36,230 visitors in 2024. Despite its popularity on wildlife documentaries, Katmai’s remote location keeps visitor numbers low. Beyond bear viewing, the park preserves the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a dramatic ash-filled valley created by the 1912 Novarupta volcanic eruption. The park is legitimately one of the most spectacular wildlife-watching destinations on the planet, yet barely anyone goes.
Getting to Katmai requires flying into King Salmon, Alaska, and then taking a small floatplane into the park – a journey that adds considerable cost and planning to any trip. There’s something alluring about the thought of watching bears fish at Brooks Falls in Katmai with just a handful of other visitors. These remote parks preserve not just wilderness, but also an increasingly rare experience in our hyperconnected world: genuine solitude in nature. Most of these parks lack the immense visitation numbers seen in areas like Yellowstone, Zion, or Great Smoky Mountains simply because they’re incredibly difficult to access.
8. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, Alaska – 81,670 Visits in 2024
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve welcomed 81,000 visitors in 2024, making it one of the least-visited parks in the system. The park is the largest in the entire U.S. national park system, covering more than 13 million acres – larger than the entire country of Switzerland. Despite its mind-bending size and dramatic glaciated landscapes, it consistently ranks near the bottom of the visitation charts.
The drive is a bit of a trek – five hours from Anchorage – to get to McCarthy, Alaska, where visitors can access the historic Kennecott Mine and Root Glacier. The park’s scale is actually part of the problem: many visitors who do make it to Alaska gravitate toward more famous destinations like Denali, where infrastructure and tour options are far more developed. Some parks are what you might call “hidden treasures.” These parks take a bit more planning to get to, and might be smaller – or in this case, wilder – than their popular counterparts.
9. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida – 84,285 Visits in 2024
Dry Tortugas National Park is located about 68 miles west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. The park preserves Fort Jefferson and the several Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys. The park’s centerpiece is Fort Jefferson, a massive but unfinished coastal fortress. Fort Jefferson is the largest brick masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere, composed of more than 16 million bricks. With coral reefs, tropical birds, and historic shipwrecks, the park packs an enormous amount of variety into a very small land area.
There are several reasons why so few people visit this park. For one thing, it is relatively remote. You can only get here by boat and seaplane, which also makes this visit more expensive than many other national parks. Only a limited number of ferry and seaplane tickets are sold – around 200 to 300 per day – and they sell out months in advance. The combination of logistical difficulty and advance planning required makes this a park that many Floridians and tourists have on their wish lists but never quite manage to visit.
10. Great Basin National Park, Nevada – 152,000 Visits in 2024
Great Basin National Park came in tenth place among the least-visited parks, welcoming over 152,000 visitors in 2024. In Nevada, Great Basin National Park is noted for its ancient bristlecone pines and the Lehman Caves. It offers diverse activities from spelunking to stargazing despite its small size of 77,180 acres. Great Basin National Park is five hours north of Las Vegas, placing it far from any major tourist hub in a state where most visitors head straight for the Strip.
One of its coolest features is the Wheeler Peak Glacier, which sits at the base of the 13,000-foot Wheeler Peak. Guests can reach the glacier with a two-mile, uphill hike. Unfortunately, the glacier is almost entirely covered by rocks. The actual ice is barely visible when you visit. So set your expectations properly if you decide to book a trip here. At last measurement, the glacier was only 300 feet long by 400 feet wide, and scientists predict it will disappear entirely within 20 years. Still, the park’s dark skies and ancient bristlecone pines – some of the oldest living organisms on Earth – make it remarkable for those who seek it out. Word is slowly getting out: Great Basin’s tourist traffic has risen from around 49,000 to 143,000 in the past ten years.