5/5 Samiun A. 2 years ago on Google
CNN)
â There
are
more
than
420
sites
in
the
US
National
Park
System,
but
only
63
carry
the
headliner
--
capital
N,
capital
P
--
"National
Park"
title.
The
most
visited
of
those,
Great
Smoky
Mountains
National
Park
in
North
Carolina
and
Tennessee,
welcomed
a
record-setting
14
million
recreation
visits
in
2021.
Zion,
Yellowstone
and
the
Grand
Canyon
are
other
top
visitor
draws.
See
full
lists
of
the
most
popular
National
Park
Service
sites here.
But
what
about
the
least-visited
headliners?
Parks
that
might
be
especially
wild
or
hard
to
reach
but
also
uncrowded
and
largely
undiscovered.
Let's
take
a
peek
at
those.
Seven
out
of
the
15
least-visited
national
parks
in
2021
are
in
Alaska.
It's
no
big
surprise
that
a
good
chunk
of
the
least-visited
national
parks
are
in
the
49th
state.
Covering
close
to
665,000
square
miles
--
much
of
it
wild
and
often
frozen
--
getting
around
the
state
can
be
challenging
and
there's a
lot of
wilderness
to
see.
The
least
visited
of
the
63
national
parks, Gates
of
the
Arctic
National
Park
&
Preserve,
contains
no
roads
or
trails
and
visitors
must
fly
or
hike
into
the
park,
according
to
the
National
Park
Service.
It's
safe
to
say
the
people
who
accounted
for
its
7,362
recreation
visits
in
2021
were
very
committed
to
a
wilderness
experience.
Denali
National
Park
in
Alaska,
No.
13
among
the
least-visited
parks,
saw
a
whopping
229,521
visits
by
comparison.
īŋŧīŋŧ
The
National
Park
of
American
Samoa
logged
8,495
recreation
visits
in
2021.
Š
Michael
Runkel/Danita
Delimon/Adobe
Stock
Remote
islands,
a
historic
fort
and
more
The
second
least-visited
national
park
couldn't
be
more
different.
National
Park
of
American
Samoa
is
located
on
a
volcanic
island
arc
in
the
South
Pacific,
where
fruit
bats
and
coral
reefs
are
part
of
the
ecosystem.
The
park
logged
just
under
8,500
visits
in
2021.
Among
other
non-Alaska
entries
in
the
least
visited
parks
list
are
North
Cascades
in
Washington;
Isle
Royale
in
Michigan
and
Dry
Tortugas
in
Florida.
Related
content
Want
to
visit
a
popular
US
national
park
this
summer?
Start
planning
yesterday
The
latter
two
are
remarkably
different
island
environments.
Isle
Royale
is
a
wooded
island
in
Lake
Superior
accessible
by
ferry
or
seaplane;
Dry
Tortugas
is
70
miles
west
of
Key
West
and
encompasses
open
water
and
a
handful
of
islands,
including
one
that's
home
to
an
impressive
19th-century
fort.
Nevada,
South
Carolina,
Minnesota
and
Texas
parks
also
make
the
15
least-visited
list.
Here's
the
list
for
a
little
trail-less-taken
inspiration:
15
least-visited
US
National
Parks
in
2021
1. Gates
of
the
Arctic
National
Park
&
Preserve,
Alaska
-
7,362
recreation
visits
2. National
Park
of
American
Samoa -
8,495
recreation
visits
3. Kobuk
Valley
National
Park,
Alaska
-
11,540
recreation
visits
4. North
Cascades
National
Park,
Washington
-
17,855
recreation
visits
5. Lake
Clark
National
Park
&
Preserve,
Alaska
-
18,278
recreation
visits
6. Katmai
National
Park
&
Preserve,
Alaska
-
24,764
recreation
visits
7. Isle
Royale
National
Park,
Michigan
-
25,844
recreation
visits
8. Wrangell-St.
Elias
National
Park
&
Preserve,
Alaska
-
50,189
recreation
visits
9. Dry
Tortugas
National
Park,
Florida
-
83,817
recreation
visits
10. Glacier
Bay
National
Park
&
Preserve,
Alaska
-
89,768
recreation
visits
11. Great
Basin
National
Park,
Nevada
-
144,875
recreation
visits
12. Congaree
National
Park,
South
Carolina
-
215,181
recreation
visits
13. Denali
National
Park
&
Preserve,
Alaska
-
229,521
recreation
visits
14. Voyageurs
National
Park,
Minnesota
-
243,042
recreation
visits
15. Guadalupe
Mountains
National
Park,
Texas
-
243,291
recreation
visits
Top
image:
Aquarius
Valley
in
Gates
of
the
Arctic
National
Park,
Alaska
(Matt
Brain/Adobe
Stock)
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