How many people visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park each year?

3,025,325 recreation visits in 2025, ranking #11 of the 63 national parks. The 2010s averaged 2,251,537 a year.

What was Cuyahoga Valley's busiest year?

1997, with 3,527,837 recreation visits — +16.6% more than 2025. The single busiest month on record was June 1997 (533,993 visits).

Is Cuyahoga Valley getting more crowded?

2025 visits were +32.4% compared with 2015 and +19.4% compared with 2005.

What counts as a recreation visit?

The NPS counts a recreation visit as one person entering the park for recreation; someone who leaves and re-enters is counted again, and commuters, through-traffic and staff are excluded. Counts come from gate and traffic counters with park-specific multipliers, so they are estimates.

Why does the record start before Cuyahoga Valley became a national park?

The NPS counts visits by park unit, and the unit kept the same statistics code when it was redesignated a national park in 2000. Earlier years are visits to the same place under its previous designation.

Visitor statistics

How many people visit Cuyahoga Valley?

Last verified October 5, 2026NPS Visitor Use Statistics1979–2025

3,025,325 recreation visits in 2025, #11 of 63 national parks. The record is 1997 (3,527,837). Every year since 1979, straight from the National Park Service’s own counts, including the years before it became a national park in 2000.

People in bright orange kayaks paddle around a bend in a river, past green trees and a rocky shore. — Photo: NPS Photo / D.J. Reiser

2025 visits: 3,025,325; +3.9% vs 2024
Rank, 2025: #11; of 63 national parks
Record year: 1997; 3,527,837 visits
vs 2015: +32.4%; ten-year change
vs 1979: +457.1%; since the first full year
Busiest month ever: Jun 1997; 533,993 visits

1979–2025

Every year since the counts began

Recreation visits per calendar year, as reported to the NPS Visitor Use Statistics office. The 2025 bar is highlighted; a missing bar means the park did not report all twelve months that year.

Show the full table (47 years) ↓

Year	Recreation visits	Change	Rank
2025	3,025,325	+3.9%	#11
2024	2,912,454	+1.8%	#12
2023	2,860,059	−1.8%	#12
2022	2,913,312	+13.1%	#9
2021	2,575,275	−6.5%	#13
2020	2,755,628	+23.1%	#7
2019	2,237,997	+6.8%	#13
2018	2,096,053	−5.9%	#13
2017	2,226,879	−8.1%	#13
2016	2,423,390	+6.1%	#12
2015	2,284,612	+4.3%	#11
2014	2,189,849	+4.1%	#11
2013	2,103,010	−8.6%	#12
2012	2,299,722	+6.4%	#11
2011	2,161,185	−13.3%	#11
2010	2,492,670	−3.7%	#10
2009	2,589,288	−8.4%	#8
2008	2,828,233	+13.7%	#6
2007	2,486,656	+0.7%	#9
2006	2,468,816	−2.6%	#9
2005	2,533,827	−23.4%	#9
2004	3,306,175	+14.8%	#3
2003	2,879,591	−10.5%	#7
2002	3,217,935	+3.0%	#6
2001	3,123,353	−6.1%	#7
2000	3,324,918	+0.0%	#6
1999	3,324,284	−4.1%	#6
1998	3,467,107	−1.7%	#5
1997	3,527,837	+2.1%	#5
1996	3,455,878	+8.2%	#5
1995	3,195,207	−2.2%	#6
1994	3,266,401	+44.1%	#5
1993	2,266,139	+58.4%	#12
1992	1,430,382	+5.3%	#17
1991	1,358,984	+13.2%	#17
1990	1,200,622	+3.5%	#18
1989	1,159,648	−5.7%	#19
1988	1,229,717	+10.4%	#17
1987	1,113,405	+6.8%	#19
1986	1,042,148	+3.7%	#19
1985	1,004,858	−1.4%	#18
1984	1,018,828	+8.4%	#19
1983	939,562	+30.9%	#19
1982	717,815	+20.4%	#24
1981	596,300	+5.9%	#28
1980	563,300	+3.7%	#29
1979	543,025	—	#33

By decade

The long view

1970s: 543,025; avg · 1 yr
1980s: 938,558; avg · 10 yrs
1990s: 2.65 million; avg · 10 yrs
2000s: 2.88 million; avg · 10 yrs
2010s: 2.25 million; avg · 10 yrs
2020s: 2.84 million; avg · 6 yrs

Seasonality: in 1979–1983 the three busiest months carried 40% of the year’s visits; in 2021–2025 they carried 37% — about the same shape as before.

Average visits by month

2021–2025 · NPS IRMA

JFMAMJJASOND

Quietest: JanuaryBusiest: July

The weather page puts these crowd levels beside each month’s temperatures.

About these numbers

Figures are the National Park Service’s monthly recreation-visit counts, retrieved from its public statistics service and summed by calendar year. A year is shown only when all twelve months were reported. The NPS revises recent months occasionally, so small differences from a later nps.gov table are normal. Rankings compare the 63 national parks for the same year. See every park ranked for 2025.

Sources · 2

1.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits by park, 1979–2025 · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
2.NPS Visitor Use Statistics Definitions · National Park Service

FAQ

Cuyahoga Valley visitor questions

How many people visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park each year?: 3,025,325 recreation visits in 2025, ranking #11 of the 63 national parks. The 2010s averaged 2,251,537 a year.
What was Cuyahoga Valley's busiest year?: 1997, with 3,527,837 recreation visits — +16.6% more than 2025. The single busiest month on record was June 1997 (533,993 visits).
Is Cuyahoga Valley getting more crowded?: 2025 visits were +32.4% compared with 2015 and +19.4% compared with 2005.
What counts as a recreation visit?: The NPS counts a recreation visit as one person entering the park for recreation; someone who leaves and re-enters is counted again, and commuters, through-traffic and staff are excluded. Counts come from gate and traffic counters with park-specific multipliers, so they are estimates.
Why does the record start before Cuyahoga Valley became a national park?: The NPS counts visits by park unit, and the unit kept the same statistics code when it was redesignated a national park in 2000. Earlier years are visits to the same place under its previous designation.

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