Isle Royale, Michigan, is the National Park Americans Spend the Most Time in, Study Finds

Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, was found to be the park that visitors spend the most time in, with an average of 52.4 hours spent per visit.
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, had the lowest average visit time at just 1.4 hours.
The National Park Service recorded more than 435 million recreational visits across all 63 parks between 2020 and 2024, with each person spending an average of 9.3 hours per visit.

Isle Royale National Park in Michigan has been named as the US national park that visitors spend the most time in, according to a new study.

Student travel company Rustic Pathways set out to identify which US national parks people spend the most time in by analyzing National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics from 2020 to 2024. They took the total number of recreational hours spent in each park per year and divided it by the estimated number of visitors across that year.

Isle Royale National Park in Michigan took the top spot, with visitors spending an average of 52.4 hours (more than two days) exploring the park. Located on an island in Lake Superior, the park is only accessible by ferry or seaplane, meaning visitors often stay for several days to make the journey worthwhile.

With just over 23,000 visitors to the park per year on average, Isle Royale is one of the least visited of the 63 parks, totaling just 115,562 recreational visits over the five-year period.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska ranked second, with visitors spending an average of 46 hours per visit (nearly two full days). As America’s largest national park, spanning more than 13.2 million acres, its vast size and remote location likely contribute to the extended average stay time for visitors. On average, the park recorded 58,411 recreational visits per year, making it the eighth least visited.

Kings Canyon National Park in California ranked third, with visitors spending an average of 33 hours per visit. The park recorded a much higher visitation rate, with 592,287 recreational visits per year on average, or more than 2.96 million visits between 2020 and 2024.

Sequoia National Park, also located in California, ranked fourth, with people spending 31.4 hours there on average per visit. The park attracts an impressive 1.06 million recreational visits per year on average, or 5.3 million visits over the five-year period.

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska ranked fifth, with people spending an average of 19.4 hours per visit. The park welcomes an average of 416,243 visitors per year, totaling more than 2.08 million visitors between 2020 and 2024.

Big Bend National Park in Texas ranked sixth, with visitors spending an average of 19.2 hours in the park. Despite its remote location along the Mexican border, Big Bend consistently attracts 511,964 annual visitors who spend nearly a full day exploring its desert, mountain, and river environments.

Yellowstone National Park ranked seventh, with visitors spending an average of 17.8 hours experiencing its geothermal features and wildlife. Established in 1872, Yellowstone is considered America’s first national park and spans Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. The park attracts 4.24 million visitors per year on average, totaling 21.2 million visitors across the five-year period.

North Cascades National Park in Washington ranked eighth, with visitors spending an average of 17.5 hours in the park. Despite being one of the least visited national parks, with only 27,146 recreational visits per year on average, those who make the journey spend substantial time exploring its rugged mountain wilderness.

Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska ranked ninth, with visitors spending 15.8 hours on average, likely due to its remote location and world-famous bear viewing opportunities.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona rounded out the top 10, with visitors spending an average of 15.6 hours taking in its spectacular vistas.

At the bottom of the ranking, visitors spend the least time in Capitol Reef National Park on average, at just 1.4 hours per visit. Saguaro National Park in Arizona (1.6 hours) and White Sands National Park in New Mexico (2 hours) feature in the bottom three.

Between 2020 and 2024, the National Park Service recorded more than 435 million recreational visits across all 63 national parks, with each visitor spending an average of 9.3 hours at any given park.

Rank	National Park	State(s) located in	Recreation Visit Hours (2020-2024)	Total Recreation Visits (2020-2024)	Average Number of Hours Spent Per Visitor (2020-2024)
1.	Isle Royale National Park	Michigan	6,200,600	115,562	52.4
2.	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve	Alaska	13,434,508	292,055	46.0
3.	Kings Canyon National Park	California	98,064,673	2,961,435	33.0
4.	Sequoia National Park	California	166,476,875	5,298,972	31.4
5.	Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve	Alaska	27,017,131	2,081,215	19.4
6.	Big Bend National Park	Texas	49,064,471	2,559,821	19.2
7.	Yellowstone National Park	Wyoming, Montana and Idaho	376,060,996	21,202,525	17.8
8.	North Cascades National Park	Washington	2,295,470	135,730	17.5
9.	Katmai National Park and Preserve	Alaska	2,740,018	180,176	15.8
10.	Grand Canyon National Park	Arizona	341,260,706	21,814,744	15.6

“These findings highlight how some of America’s most remote parks are more conducive to longer visitor experiences,” said Shayne Fitz-Coy, CEO of Rustic Pathways, who commissioned the study.

“Parks requiring boat or seaplane access, like Isle Royale, or those in extremely remote locations like Alaska’s parks, rank among the highest for time spent per visitor, as they require significant commitment just to reach them, which naturally leads to longer stays once visitors arrive.”

“When you factor in the effort to reach these destinations, visitors typically plan multi-day trips in order to make the journey worthwhile.”

“In contrast, parks where visitors spend less time on average are often more accessible and can be experienced over a shorter timeframe. These parks often serve as perfect day-trip destinations or as stops on longer road trips,” Fitz-Coy adds.

Sources:

National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics

Methodology:

Data was taken from the National Park Service’s Visitor Use Statistics for all 63 recognized national parks in America. The average number of hours spent by recreational visitors at each park between 2020 and 2024 was calculated by dividing total recreational visiting hours by the number of visitors. Parks were ranked by the average number of hours spent there per visitor between 2020 and 2024.

All 63 national parks ranked by average hours spent per visitor (2020 – 2024)

Rank	National Park	Location	Recreation Visit Hours (2020-2024)	Total Recreation Visits (2020-2024)	Average Number of Hours Spent Per Visitor (2020-2024)
1.	Isle Royale National Park	Michigan	6,200,600	23,112	52.4
2.	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve	Alaska	13,434,508	58,411	46.0
3.	Kings Canyon National Park	California	98,064,673	592,287	33.0
4.	Sequoia National Park	California	166,476,875	1,059,794	31.4
5.	Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve	Alaska	27,017,131	416,243	19.4
6.	Big Bend National Park	Texas	49,064,471	511,964	19.2
7.	Yellowstone National Park	Wyoming, Montana and Idaho	376,060,996	4,240,505	17.8
8.	North Cascades National Park	Washington	2,295,470	27,146	17.5
9.	Katmai National Park and Preserve	Alaska	2,740,018	36,035	15.8
10.	Grand Canyon National Park	Arizona	341,260,706	4,362,949	15.6
11.	Channel Islands National Park	California	19,142,947	280,223	13.9
12.	Yosemite National Park	California	241,071,418	3,448,467	13.8
13.	Kobuk Valley National Park	Alaska	1,013,661	14,900	13.7
14.	Denali National Park and Preserve	Alaska	21,291,980	335,376	13.7
15.	Mount Rainier National Park	Washington	96,673,721	1,549,502	12.5
16.	Lake Clark National Park and Preserve	Alaska	770,964	15,329	10.8
17.	Lassen Volcanic National Park	California	22,408,509	424,966	10.5
18.	Glacier National Park	Montana	145,653,669	2,766,270	10.4
19.	Great Basin National Park	Nevada	7,254,651	140,514	10.3
20.	Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve	Alaska	363,217	8,529	8.6
21.	Mammoth Cave National Park	Kentucky	22,677,265	574,161	7.9
22.	Death Valley National Park	California and Nevada	42,436,196	1,127,110	7.6
23.	Dry Tortugas National Park	Florida	2,857,682	76,001	7.5
24.	Mesa Verde National Park	<span style=”font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-