WASHINGTON — The National Park Service reports it recorded more than 275 million visits in America’s national park system in 2007. This is an increase of 3 million visits from the previous year. “Despite rising gas prices and the lure of electronic entertainment, this is great news,” said National Park Service Director Mary A. Bomar. “With all the recreation choices available, national parks still draw more visits than Major League Baseball, the National Football League, professional basketball, soccer and NASCAR combined.”

Bomar credited growing interest in the National Park Service Centennial as a big reason for the upswing in the number of visits to America’s national parks. “Although our centennial is not until 2016, the president, late in 2006, charged us with a ‘Centennial Initiative’ — to make the jewels in America’s crown sparkle for another century," Bomar said. “We started hearing from park lovers immediately after the announcement of the National Parks Centennial Initiative. And people said unequivocally that they love their parks.We heard more of the same support for parks across the United States during a series of more than 40 listening sessions that wrapped up a year ago this spring.”

After a record 287 million visits in 1999, and a one-year bump attributed to the 2004 opening of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., the number of visits has been in decline. “Hopefully the 2007 figures are a permanent rebound from 2006 when had 272.6 million visits,” Bomar said. The National Park Service tracks visitation to units of the National Park System. The the 391 areas that Congress set aside include more than 100 national historical parks and historic sites, 74 national monuments, 58 national parks, 28 national memorials, two dozen national battlefields and military parks, as well as national seashores, parkways, recreation areas, and national preserves.

At 17.35 million, the Blue Ridge Parkway recorded the highest number of visits in the National Park System last year. Golden Gate National Recreation Area was second with 14.4 million visits. Gateway National Recreation Area was third at 8.8 million visits followed by Lake Mead National Recreation Area at 7.6 million visits, and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area at 4.8 million visits.

While the number of visits across the National Park System varies widely, 70 units recorded 1 million or more visits in 2007.

Ten Most Visited Units of the National Park System, 2007 Recreational Visits:

1. Blue Ridge Parkway,17,352,286
   
2. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 14,397,313
   
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 9,372,253
4. Gateway National Recreation Area,8,813,204
   
5. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 7,622,139
   
6. George Washington Memorial Parkway, 6,837,139
   
7. Natchez Trace Parkway, 5,777,666
8. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, 4,836,229
   
9. Grand Canyon National Park, 4,413,668
   
10. Cape Cod National Seashore, 4,351,609
    

Visits to the 58 National Parks The 58 national parks were the most popular park category in 2007 with 62.3 million visits. And 19 national parks recorded 1 million or more visits in 2007. Great Smoky Mountains National Park recorded 9.37 million visits in 2007, the highest number of the national parks. Grand Canyon National Park was second with 4.4 million visits while Yosemite National Park was third in visits with 3.5 million. Yellowstone National Park was fourth in visits with 3.15 million. Olympic National Park was fifth in visits with 2.99 million. Rounding out the top 10 of national park visits are Rocky Mountain National Park, 2.89 million, Zion National Park, 2.66 million, Grand Teton National Park, 2.59 million, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 2.49 million, and Acadia National Park, 2.2 million.

Ten Most Visited National Parks, 2007 Recreational Visits

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 9,372,253
   
2. Grand Canyon National Park, 4,413,668
3. Yosemite National Park, 3,503,428
   
4. Yellowstone National Park, 3,151,343
5. Olympic National Park, 2,988,686
6. Rocky Mountain National Park, 2,895,383
7. Zion National Park, 2,657,281 
   
8. Grand Teton National Park, 2,588,574
9. Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 2,486,656
10. Acadia National Park, 2,202,228

According to the National Park Service's latest overview of historical visitation statistics, it recorded 1 million visits to parks in 1920, 17 million visits in 1940, 79 million visits in 1960, 198 million visits in 1980, 286 million in 2000, and 273 million in 2006. In total it reports, that since 1916, more than 17 billion people have visited national parks.

Detailed historical visitation statistics are available on the National Park Service's Public Use Statistics Office Web site: http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats.

For additional information, contact David Barna, NPS, (202) 208-6843, or Jeffrey Olson, NPS, (202) 208-6843.