How many people visit Death Valley National Park each year?

1,320,134 recreation visits in 2025, ranking #24 of the 63 national parks. The 2010s averaged 1,213,505 a year.

What was Death Valley's busiest year?

2019, with 1,740,945 recreation visits — +31.9% more than 2025. The single busiest month on record was March 2016 (209,282 visits).

Is Death Valley getting more crowded?

2025 visits were +14.3% compared with 2015 and +65.0% 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 Death 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 1994. Earlier years are visits to the same place under its previous designation.

Visitor statistics

How many people visit Death Valley?

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

1,320,134 recreation visits in 2025, #24 of 63 national parks. The record is 2019 (1,740,945). Every year since 1979, straight from the National Park Service’s own counts, including the years before it became a national park in 1994.

A natural rock arch spans a narrow desert canyon. The viewer stands in deep shade beneath the arch. — Photo: NPS

2025 visits: 1,320,134; −8.4% vs 2024
Rank, 2025: #24; of 63 national parks
Record year: 2019; 1,740,945 visits
vs 2015: +14.3%; ten-year change
vs 1979: +109.2%; since the first full year
Busiest month ever: Mar 2016; 209,282 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	1,320,134	−8.4%	#24
2024	1,440,484	+31.0%	#21
2023	1,099,632	−2.6%	#23
2022	1,128,862	−1.5%	#25
2021	1,146,551	+39.8%	#23
2020	820,023	−52.9%	#22
2019	1,740,945	+3.7%	#16
2018	1,678,660	+29.6%	#16
2017	1,294,827	−0.1%	#21
2016	1,296,283	+12.2%	#20
2015	1,154,843	+4.9%	#23
2014	1,101,312	+15.7%	#24
2013	951,972	−3.3%	#23
2012	984,568	+4.0%	#25
2011	946,867	−3.8%	#24
2010	984,775	+18.9%	#24
2009	828,574	−5.0%	#26
2008	871,938	+23.8%	#24
2007	704,122	−5.4%	#26
2006	744,440	−7.0%	#26
2005	800,113	+4.6%	#27
2004	764,820	−14.1%	#27
2003	890,375	−0.8%	#25
2002	897,596	−11.5%	#25
2001	1,014,636	−13.9%	#24
2000	1,179,094	−3.9%	#21
1999	1,227,583	+4.2%	#21
1998	1,177,746	−0.9%	#22
1997	1,188,212	−0.1%	#22
1996	1,189,215	+7.2%	#22
1995	1,109,421	+14.2%	#22
1994	971,487	−2.7%	#25
1993	998,474	+14.9%	#25
1992	869,183	+16.9%	#27
1991	743,608	+7.6%	#28
1990	690,965	+4.0%	#29
1989	664,449	−4.0%	#29
1988	692,267	+4.0%	#30
1987	665,345	+13.4%	#31
1986	586,668	+1.7%	#32
1985	576,679	−7.2%	#31
1984	621,197	−2.3%	#30
1983	635,582	−6.5%	#28
1982	679,992	+7.9%	#26
1981	630,402	+2.0%	#26
1980	618,140	−2.1%	#25
1979	631,152	—	#26

By decade

The long view

1970s: 631,152; avg · 1 yr
1980s: 637,072; avg · 10 yrs
1990s: 1.02 million; avg · 10 yrs
2000s: 869,571; avg · 10 yrs
2010s: 1.21 million; avg · 10 yrs
2020s: 1.16 million; avg · 6 yrs

Seasonality: in 1979–1983 the three busiest months carried 35% of the year’s visits; in 2021–2025 they carried 35% — about the same shape as before.

Average visits by month

2021–2025 · NPS IRMA

JFMAMJJASOND

Quietest: SeptemberBusiest: March

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

Death Valley visitor questions

How many people visit Death Valley National Park each year?: 1,320,134 recreation visits in 2025, ranking #24 of the 63 national parks. The 2010s averaged 1,213,505 a year.
What was Death Valley's busiest year?: 2019, with 1,740,945 recreation visits — +31.9% more than 2025. The single busiest month on record was March 2016 (209,282 visits).
Is Death Valley getting more crowded?: 2025 visits were +14.3% compared with 2015 and +65.0% 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 Death 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 1994. Earlier years are visits to the same place under its previous designation.

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