"For 2025, there was good news and bad news: overall, these areas were visited 323 million times over the course of the year. That's the good news; the bad news is that this figure was down ever so slightly - specifically, 2.7% - from a record-setting 2024."
"There was a significant exception to this trend, however: the state of California. As Jack Dolan reports at the Los Angeles Times, the nine national parks located in the state collectively experienced an increase in visitors from 2024 to 2025. Overall, Dolan writes, these nine parks attracted "nearly 12 million recreational visits" last year."
"While last year's national park attendance set a national record, California's own attendance record was previously set in 2019, according to the Times. Last year's number of visits exceeded that year's total by approximately 300,000."
The National Parks Service reported 323 million visits to parks and recreation areas in 2025, representing a slight 2.7% decrease from 2024's record-setting attendance. Overnight stays and visitor hours also declined marginally. California's nine national parks defied this national trend, experiencing increased visitation from 2024 to 2025 with nearly 12 million recreational visits. This figure exceeded California's previous attendance record from 2019 by approximately 300,000 visits. Even Kings Canyon National Park, which underwent prescribed burns during the year, saw recreation visit increases. California's appeal stems from its favorable climate, cities, and amusement parks. Rising costs for overseas visitors to national parks in 2025 may influence future attendance patterns across the country.
Read at InsideHook
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