What is the least visited national park?

Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska, with 7,786 recreation visits in 2025 (down 54.8% from 2024). Gates of the Arctic was next with 14,923.

What is the least visited national park in the lower 48?

Isle Royale National Park in Michigan: 29,091 visits in 2025. Next come North Cascades (46,925), Dry Tortugas (89,355) and Great Basin (161,210).

Which national parks can't you drive to?

NPS describes Glacier Bay, Channel Islands, Dry Tortugas, Katmai, Isle Royale, Lake Clark, Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley as reachable only by boat or plane (or on foot, for Gates of the Arctic). The parks in Hawaiʻi, American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands are on islands, so you fly or sail there first.

Why are these parks so quiet?

Mostly geography. 7 of the 15 least visited parks have no road in, and 5 are in Alaska. Together the 15 drew 1,733,499 visits in 2025, less than a quarter of what Great Smoky Mountains saw on its own.

What is the least visited national park in California?

Channel Islands National Park, with 227,186 visits in 2025, the quietest of California's 9 national parks.

NPS visitor data · 2025

The least visited national parks of 2025

Last verified October 1, 20267 of 15 have no road in

Kobuk Valley logged 7,786 recreation visits in all of 2025, about what Great Smoky Mountains sees in 6 hours. These are the quiet parks: far-flung, often roadless, and wide open if you make the trip.

Quietest of all 63

63Kobuk Valley7,786
62Gates of the Arctic14,923
61Lake Clark19,778
60Isle Royale29,091
59Katmai34,479

2025 recreation visits · NPS IRMA

Visits, all 15 together: 1,733,499; vs 11,527,939 at Great Smoky Mountains
No road in: 7 of 15; boat or plane, per NPS
In Alaska: 5 of 15; including the 3 quietest
Quietest in the lower 48: Isle Royale; 29,091 visits

#63 to #49

The 15 least visited national parks

Quietest first, by 2025 recreation visits. Where NPS says there's no road in, we quote it.

Photo: NPS Photo
Alaska
Kobuk Valley National Park
2025 visits
7,786
Per day
≈ 21
Busiest month
July
From Anchorage
519 mi*
“There are no roads to provide access, so planes take care of most transportation needs.” NPS
Photo: NPS Photo / Sean Tevebaugh
Alaska
Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
14,923
Per day
≈ 41
Busiest month
July
From Anchorage
470 mi*
“Gates of the Arctic is a wilderness park, with no roads or trails into the park lands, so visitors must fly or hike into the park.” NPS
Photo: NPS Photo / James Kramer
Alaska
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
19,778
Per day
≈ 54
Busiest month
July
From Anchorage
149 mi*
“It is not on the road system; therefore, in order to get here you must travel either via plane or by boat.” NPS
Photo: NPS Photo / Paul Brown
Michigan
Isle Royale National Park
2025 visits
29,091
Per day
≈ 80
Busiest month
August
From Detroit
478 mi*
“It is only accessible by ferry, seaplane, or private watercraft.” NPS
Photo: NPS/David Jacob
Alaska
Katmai National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
34,479
Per day
≈ 94
Busiest month
July
From Anchorage
265 mi*
“Unlike most national parks in the United States, Katmai is almost exclusively accessed by plane or boat.” NPS
Photo: NPS Photo / Michael Larson
American Samoa
National Park of American Samoa
2025 visits
43,258
Per day
≈ 119
Busiest month
April
Quiet month
May
An island park: you fly or sail there first.
Photo: NPS Photo/D.Dixon
Washington
North Cascades National Park
2025 visits
46,925
Per day
≈ 129
Busiest month
July
From Seattle
92 mi*
You can drive to this one.
Photo: NPS Photo / Brett Seymour
Florida
Dry Tortugas National Park
2025 visits
89,355
Per day
≈ 245
Busiest month
May
From Jacksonville
401 mi*
“Located approximately 70 miles west of Key West it is accessible only by a daily concession ferry, private boats, charter boats, or seaplane.” NPS
Photo: NPS Photo/ Neal Herbert
Alaska
Wrangell–St. Elias National Park & Preserve
2025 visits
108,840
Per day
≈ 298
Busiest month
July
From Anchorage
222 mi*
You can drive to this one.
Photo: NPS Photo
Nevada
Great Basin National Park
2025 visits
161,210
Per day
≈ 442
Busiest month
July
From Las Vegas
195 mi*
You can drive to this one.
Photo: NPS Photo / Daniel Dendler
Minnesota
Voyageurs National Park
2025 visits
206,326
Per day
≈ 565
Busiest month
August
From Minneapolis
244 mi*
You can drive to this one.
Photo: NPS/Bieri
Texas
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
2025 visits
206,423
Per day
≈ 566
Busiest month
March
From Houston
582 mi*
You can drive to this one.
Photo: NPS/Brett Seymour
California
Channel Islands National Park
2025 visits
227,186
Per day
≈ 622
Busiest month
July
From Los Angeles
86 mi*
“While the mainland visitor center in Ventura is readily accessible by car or public transportation, the islands are only accessible by park concessionaire boats and planes or private boat.” NPS
Photo: NPS Photo/Lynch
Colorado
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
2025 visits
250,086
Per day
≈ 685
Busiest month
June
From Denver
173 mi*
You can drive to this one.
Photo: NPS
South Carolina
Congaree National Park
2025 visits
287,833
Per day
≈ 789
Busiest month
May
From Charleston
80 mi*
You can drive to this one.

*Straight-line miles from the state’s largest city (U.S. Census Bureau), not road miles. Visits are 2025 recreation visits from NPS Visitor Use Statistics.

Closer to home

Quiet parks you don't need a floatplane for

Least visited in the lower 48

Contiguous states only

Least visited you can drive to

Road access per NPS; no island parks

By state

The quietest park in every state with two or more

States with a single national park are left out: their quietest park is also their busiest.

Least visited national park in each state with two or more national parks, 2025
State	Quietest park	2025 visits	National rank
Alaska8 parks	Kobuk Valley	7,786	#63 of 63
Washington3 parks	North Cascades	46,925	#57 of 63
Florida3 parks	Dry Tortugas	89,355	#56 of 63
Nevada2 parks	Great Basin	161,210	#54 of 63
Texas2 parks	Guadalupe Mountains	206,423	#52 of 63
California9 parks	Channel Islands	227,186	#51 of 63
Colorado4 parks	Black Canyon of the Gunnison	250,086	#50 of 63
Arizona3 parks	Petrified Forest	315,951	#48 of 63
New Mexico2 parks	Carlsbad Caverns	410,778	#46 of 63
South Dakota2 parks	Wind Cave	606,258	#37 of 63
Utah5 parks	Canyonlands	796,057	#29 of 63
Hawaii2 parks	Haleakalā	853,711	#27 of 63
Montana2 parks	Glacier	3,136,557	#10 of 63
Wyoming2 parks	Grand Teton	3,800,648	#8 of 63

Before you go

Quiet doesn't mean easy

Most of these parks are quiet for a reason. Kobuk Valley, Gates of the Arctic, Lake Clark, Isle Royale, Katmai, Dry Tortugas and Channel Islands have no road in at all, so the trip starts with a ferry, a boat charter or a small plane, and services inside are thin or nonexistent. Seasons are short in the north: check each park’s nps.gov page for what’s open before you book anything.

The numbers are 2025 recreation visits as the National Park Service reports them, downloaded October 1, 2026. For tiny parks a handful of trips moves the total a lot, and NPS notes that parks change how they count from time to time. The full ranking, with method notes, is on the most visited national parks page.

Want quiet without the floatplane?

Pick a busy park in its quiet month. The crowd calendar shows the shoulder season for all 63 parks.

FAQ

Least visited parks, answered

What is the least visited national park?: Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska, with 7,786 recreation visits in 2025 (down 54.8% from 2024). Gates of the Arctic was next with 14,923.
What is the least visited national park in the lower 48?: Isle Royale National Park in Michigan: 29,091 visits in 2025. Next come North Cascades (46,925), Dry Tortugas (89,355) and Great Basin (161,210).
Which national parks can't you drive to?: NPS describes Glacier Bay, Channel Islands, Dry Tortugas, Katmai, Isle Royale, Lake Clark, Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley as reachable only by boat or plane (or on foot, for Gates of the Arctic). The parks in Hawaiʻi, American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands are on islands, so you fly or sail there first.
Why are these parks so quiet?: Mostly geography. 7 of the 15 least visited parks have no road in, and 5 are in Alaska. Together the 15 drew 1,733,499 visits in 2025, less than a quarter of what Great Smoky Mountains saw on its own.
What is the least visited national park in California?: Channel Islands National Park, with 227,186 visits in 2025, the quietest of California's 9 national parks.

Sources · 11

1.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (IRMA stats REST service) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior) — Visitor Use Statistics Program
2.NPS park directions text used for road access · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
3.NPS Data API — /parks (all park units) · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
4.Visitor Use Statistics Dashboard (2025 visitation at a glance) · National Park Service
5.Kobuk Valley National Park (official site) · National Park Service

Show 6 more

6.Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve (official site) · National Park Service
7.Lake Clark National Park & Preserve (official site) · National Park Service
8.Isle Royale National Park (official site) · National Park Service
9.Katmai National Park & Preserve (official site) · National Park Service
10.Dry Tortugas National Park (official site) · National Park Service
11.Channel Islands National Park (official site) · National Park Service

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