Visitors To The National Parks
The National Park System receives over 280,000,000 visits each year throughout the 398 units. Park visitation grew 40 percent between 1980 and 2001. Annually, visitors are surveyed for their satisfaction with services and facilities provided.
The ten most visited units of the National Park System handle thirty percent of the visits to the 398 park units. The top ten percent of parks (39) handle 61.2% of all visits, leaving the remaining 355 units to deal with 38.8% of visits.
| Park | Rank | Visits |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Parkway | 1 | 16,309,307 |
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area | 2 | 14,554,750 |
| Gateway National Recreation Area | 3 | 9,431,021 |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 4 | 9,044,010 |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | 5 | 7,601,863 |
| George Washington Memorial Parkway | 6 | 7,009,630 |
| Natchez Trace Parkway | 7 | 5,747,235 |
| Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area | 8 | 5,127,074 |
| Lincoln Memorial | 9 | 4,678,861 |
| Cape Cod National Seashore | 10 | 4,644,235 |
Overnight stays Over 13.8 million visitors spent a night in one of the National Park Units during 2008. The largest number (3.59 million) stayed in one of the lodges. The second largest group were tent campers (2.96 million) followed by Miscellaneous stays (on boats, group sites—2.06 million). The last three groups of over-night visitors included RV Campers (2.01 million), Back country campers (1.80 million) and users of the Concession run campgrounds (1.22 million). Over the last 30 years the largest change has been with RV users.
| Park | 2009 Rank | 1994 Rank | 1979 Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| RV Campers | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Tent Campers | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Lodges | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Backcountry | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Misc | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Concession Campers | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Services Consistently, the highest ranked service has been Assistance from Park Employees (82% very good, 2007).
Facilities Among facilities, the park Visitor Centers obtain a consistent 70% very good rating (73% in 2007).
Read more about this topic: National Park Service
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—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951)
“Being a gentleman is the number one priority, the chief question integral to our national life.”
—Edward Fox (b. 1934)
“Towns are full of people, houses full of tenants, hotels full of guests, trains full of travelers, cafés full of customers, parks full of promenaders, consulting-rooms of famous doctors full of patients, theatres full of spectators, and beaches full of bathers. What previously was, in general, no problem, now begins to be an everyday one, namely, to find room.”
—José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955)