The idea of alternate destinations (aka lesser known places, hidden gems, undiscovered locations, etc…) is growing. Over crowding is becoming a big problem all around the world. And trying to visit a place with too many people crammed in to it puts a damper on the experience even in the best of times. But right now, in the coronavirus era, it is actually dangerous to visit crowded places. And National Parks are no exception.
This is where alternate destinations come in. Places that are just as amazing as similar popular places. But far fewer people know they exist. And therefore the crowding is significantly less. If you want to avoid crowds, whether you simply hate feeling crowded, or you are trying to avoid getting sick, but you really want to visit a National Park that doesn’t require a plane or boat to get to, consider these lesser known locations.
The 10 Least Visited National Parks
Finding a list of the least visited national parks based solely on the number of people who visit each year isn’t hard. But the list here is a little different.
First, this is the usual list of the 10 least visited national parks you will find, by order of the number of visitors (highest to lowest).
But, you will notice a problem with this list.
- Virgin Islands National Park, The Virgin Islands
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
- Dry Tortuga’s National Park, Florida
- Katmai National Park, Alaska
- North Cascades National Park, Washington State
- National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa
- Isle Royale National Park, Minnesota
- Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska
- Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
- Gate of the Arctic National Park, Alaska
Do you see the problem? All but three of these National Parks are not in the lower 48. And of the three that are, two of them (Isle Royale and The Dry Tortuga’s) are islands near shore. Which means you still need to take public transportation to reach them. And, at the moment at least, the ferries serving them aren’t even operating because of the virus. So really, this list has only one park that can be visited in the lower 48 right now, North Cascades in Washington State.
Sure you could drive to Alaska, but that would take a very long time. And that’s assuming the Canadian border is open when you want to go.
That is the top reason for the list of parks in the lower 48.
Other Reasons to Stay in the Lower 48
Even during times where we aren’t worried about catching a potentially deadly virus, there is still an appeal to visiting a National Park closer to home. And the top ten most visited National Parks in the USA are proof of that. All of them just so happen to be located in the lower 48. And while these parks are amazing and deserve to be popular, the location certainly helps with the huge numbers of annual visitors. I have been to Denali National Park in Alaska, and believe me it is just as impressive as Yellowstone or Yosemite, yet it only received 600,000 visitors in 2019. Significantly less than any of these top 10 locations. And the reason for this is that it is in Alaska, and far fewer people want to go that far.
You will also notice from the list below that the most visited National Park in the USA is on the east coast. It is a beautiful park, but it is certainly not the most majestic of the available parks. Yet it gets almost double the number of visitors as the next on the list below it. That is largely in part because of its location. It is easy to get to for the entire eastern and central parts of the USA. Did you know that 80% of the American population lives in the eastern and central time zones? This shows that even without the coronavirus travel restrictions, people still prefer to visit places closer to home.
Top 10 National Parks in the USA
- Great Smoky Mountain National Park: Tennessee/North Carolina (11.3 million visitors)
- Grand Canyon National Park: Arizona (5.97 million visitors)
- Rocky Mountain National Park: Colorado (4.67 million visitors)
- Zion National Park Utah (4.3 million visitors)
- Yosemite National Park California (4.5 million visitors)
- Yellowstone National Park Wyoming/Montana/Idaho (4 million visitors)
- Acadia National Park Maine (3.4 million visitors)
- Grand Tetons National Park Wyoming (3.4 million visitors)
- Olympic National Park Washington State (3.2 million visitors)
- Glacier National Park Montana (3 million visitors)
Least Visited National Parks in the Lower 48
- Lassen Volcanic National Park: California (500,000 visitors)
- Biscayne National Park: Florida (470,000 visitors)
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park: New Mexico (467,000 visitors)
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: Colorado (433,000 visitors)
- Big Bend National Park: Texas (352,000 visitors)
- Voyageurs National Park: Minnesota (237,000 visitors)
- Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Texas (225,000 visitors)
- Great Basin National Park: Nevada (200,000 visitors)
- Pinnacles National Park: California (177,000 visitors)
- Congaree National Park: South Carolina (150,000 visitors)
(Note: Biscayne and Voyageurs are both comprised of a lot of water. Both have accessible points from the mainland, but to visit everything you will need a boat. Though for these it is possible to rent a private boat and still avoid public transportation.)
Somewhat Visited National Parks in the Lower 48
There next tier of lesser known parks receive between 500k and 1 million visitors a year. If none of the least visited parks appeal to you, one of these might jus be the right choice. They are:
- Saguaro National Park: Arizona (1 million visitors)
- Badlands National Park: South Dakota (1 million visitors)
- Everglades National Park: Florida (1 million visitors)
- North Cascades National Park Washington State (979,000 visitors)
- Canyonlands National Park Utah (776,000 visitors)
- Mesa Verde National Park Colorado (700,000 visitors)
- Wind Cave National Park South Dakota (656,000 visitors)
- Kings Canyon National Park California (632,000 visitors)
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota (600,000 visitors)
- Great Sand Dunes National Park Colorado (527,000 visitors)
- Redwood National Park California (504,000 visitors)
Almost Mainland
There are a couple of lesser known parks in the lower 48 that are accessible only by boat, two of which have been mentioned already. They are worth bringing up because in non coronavirus times, they are great alternate National Park options. At the moment they, and the ferry services accessing them, are closed. But some day we will be choosing our destinations based simply on where we want to go again. And when that times comes around, these parks will be worth checking out for those who still want to avoid crowds. They are:
- Isle Royale National Park: An island within Lake Superior in Michigan. (19,000 visitors)
- Dry Tortugas National Park: A 7 island chain in the Gulf of Mexico off of the Florida Keys. (57,000 visitors) Check out more about this National Park here
- Channel Islands National Park: A 5 island chain off the Southern California Coast. (30,000 visitors)
Time to Visit
So when you sit down to figure out where you should go this year to avoid crowds and getting sick, consider these amazing undiscovered beauties, these less visited national parks, in the lower 48 for your social distancing vacation.
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