Need to Know
Program Overview
The NPS Social Science Program is responsible for coordinating visitor use statistics reporting for units administered by the NPS. ‘Visitor Use Statistics’ refers to a formal set of statistics collected by the National Park Service that address how many people visit parks and how long they stay. Program staff work with parks to develop appropriate data collection procedures and provide quality control for visitor use data. Such coordination ensures that visitor use data are consistent and reliable throughout all units of the National Park System.
Interest in NPS visitation data goes back over a century when the first data were collected in 1904. In that first year, six national parks reported a total of 140,954 visitors. Early methods of data collection were informal and documented such things as number of visitors, modes of transportation, and trip origins. Since then, visitor use counting and reporting requirements have been formalized into policy and estimation procedures are designed to take advantage of new technologies.
A visit is the entry of a visitor onto lands or waters administered by the NPS. There are two categories of visits:
- Recreation visits
- Non-recreation visits
A visitor hour is the presence of one or more persons, excluding NPS personnel, in a park for continuous, intermittent, or simultaneous periods of time aggregating one hour.
An overnight stay is one night within a park by a visitor. There are seven categories of overnight stays:
- Concessioner Lodging Overnight Stays
- Concessioner Campground Overnight Stays
- NPS Campground Tent Overnight Stays
- NPS Campground RV Overnight Stays
- Backcountry Overnight Stays
- Miscellaneous Overnight Stays
- Non-Recreation Overnight Stays
How we measure visitor use
Each park unit that reports official visitor use statistics has a set of official Count Procedures. These procedures are unique to each park and represent an agreement between the superintendent of the park and the NPS Social Science Program regarding what data are to be collected and what calculations are to be made to support the reporting of official visitor use statistics for the park. These procedures are applicable beginning January 1 of the year of issue (except for newly added parks) and remain in effect until and unless they are changed by agreement between the park’s superintendent and the Social Science Program. Addition of new property, changes in multipliers, changes in detection technology, or changes in staff capabilities to operate and maintain a count system are common reasons to update count procedures.Visitor Use Data
Annual visitor use statistics are released during the first quarter of the following calendar year. Please review our Visitor Use Data page for a comprehensive overview of the data available and important considerations when using this dataset.Visitor Use Stats In the News
Showing results 1-10 of 79
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Tourism to Cuyahoga Valley National Park contributes $225 million to local economy
- Locations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
- Date Released: 2024-08-27
A new National Park Service report shows that 2.9 million visitors to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) in 2023 spent $139 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 2,136 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $225 million.
- Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier National Park seeks public input on timed entry reservation pilot program
- Locations: Mount Rainier National Park
- Date Released: 2024-08-19
Mount Rainier National Park is asking the public for feedback on the timed entry reservation pilot program for visits to the Paradise and Sunrise Corridors that was unveiled this summer and will last through Labor Day 2024.
- Obed Wild & Scenic River
Obed Wild & Scenic River Experienced Continued High Visitation in 2023
- Locations: Obed Wild & Scenic River
- Date Released: 2024-02-28
Today, the National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4 percent over 2022.
- Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Sets Visitation Record in 2023
- Locations: Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
- Date Released: 2024-02-27
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve set a visitation record in 2023, one of 20 national parks to do so last year. Glacier Bay welcomed 703,659 visitors in 2023.
- Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
Big South Fork NRRA Experienced Continued High Visitation in 2023
- Locations: Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
- Date Released: 2024-02-27
Today, the National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4 percent over 2022. Big South Fork NRRA experienced continued high visitation in 2023.
- Scotts Bluff National Monument
National Park Service announces 325.5 million visits to national parks in 2023.
- Locations: Scotts Bluff National Monument
- Date Released: 2024-02-22
Today, the National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4% over 2022.
- Office of Communications
Hidden gems, off-season trips highlights of 325.5 million national park visits in 2023
- Offices: Office of Communications
- Date Released: 2024-02-22
Today, the National Park Service announced that 400 national parks reported a total of 325.5 million recreation visits in 2023, an increase of 13 million or 4% over 2022.
- Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park Announces Tips for Spring Break Travel and Shuttle Bus Schedule
- Locations: Grand Canyon National Park
- Date Released: 2023-03-07
Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park can expect long lines and full parking lots during the spring break season, which spans from early March through mid-April. As a result of increased visitation, traffic regularly backs up at all entrance stations, with wait times of up to one to two hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Parking lots begin reaching capacity by 12 p.m. and shuttle bus wait times may be prolonged.
- Obed Wild & Scenic River
Record Visitation Recorded at Obed WSR in 2022
- Locations: Obed Wild & Scenic River
- Date Released: 2023-02-27
Obed Wild & Scenic River experienced its busiest year ever in 2022 with 306,502 visits.
- Death Valley National Park
Opportunities for solitude in Death Valley National Park, even with 1,100,000 visitors
- Locations: Death Valley National Park
- Date Released: 2023-02-27
Over 1,100,000 people visited Death Valley National Park last year. People can find solitude by choosing when to visit, and where to hike.
Tags:
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Looking for data?
Visitor Use Statistics Data PortalLast updated: May 16, 2024