Nearly 5 Million Visitors Made Zion Second Busiest National Park In 2025
Zion National Park continues to rank among the most popular national parks in the country, finishing second nationally in 2025 with nearly 5 million recreation visits.
According to the National Park Service, Zion recorded 4,984,525 visits last year, placing it behind only Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which welcomed more than 11.5 million visitors. Zion's total was also greater than those recorded by such nationally recognized destinations as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon and Yosemite.
The top 10 most visited national parks in 2025 included Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, Grand Teton, Olympic and Glacier. Zion was the only Utah park to crack the top 10, although several other Utah parks attracted substantial numbers of visitors.
I have to tell you, I have no problem when friends are in town to join them if they are planning a trip to Zion. After all, it is the closest national park to our area. But if they leave the choice to me, I would more likely head over to Bryce Canyon or the North Rim of The Grand Canyon. They're more in a mountain setting which is more like the area where I grew up. Nostalgia, I suppose.
Grand Canyon National Park ranked fourth nationally with 4,430,653 visits. For southern Utah residents, the park has particular significance because the North Rim is relatively close and provides a very different experience from the more heavily visited South Rim. The North Rim is part of Grand Canyon National Park, rather than a separate national park.
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Bryce Canyon National Park also remained one of Utah's major attractions, ranking 16th nationally with nearly 2 million visits in 2025. Other Utah parks included Arches at No. 21, Capitol Reef at No. 22 and Canyonlands at No. 29.
Together, those numbers demonstrate the extraordinary concentration of popular national parks within and around southern Utah. Within a few hours' drive, residents and visitors can reach Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, along with numerous national monuments and other public lands.
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Zion's continued No. 2 ranking is particularly noteworthy because its visitation remained strong despite an overall decline in National Park Service visitation. The nation's 406 reporting park units recorded 323 million recreation visits in 2025, down about 2.7% from the record 2024 total.
For Zion, however, the attraction remains clear. Towering sandstone cliffs, deep canyons, iconic hiking trails and the Virgin River continue to draw visitors from around the world. Nearly 5 million annual visits also illustrate the continuing challenge of balancing public access with the protection of the park's natural resources.
For southern Utah, Zion's ranking is another reminder that some of the nation's most sought-after scenery is right in our own backyard.
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Gallery Credit: Wes Adams
