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Maine’s Acadia National Park was among the top 5 most visited national parks in 2022
National parks drew 312 million recreation visits in 2022, up 15 million visits from 2021.
New England’s only national park was among the most popular in the nation in 2022.
The National Park Service recently named Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine, the fifth most visited national park last year, with 3.97 million visitors. The most visited national park was Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with 12.94 million visitors.
Acadia National Park has 27 miles of historic motor roads, 45 miles of carriage roads, and 158 miles of hiking trails. The park was recently named among the best in the nation by Conde Nast Traveler, which noted that its scenery is “straight off of a postcard.”
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Cadillac Mountain is the highest point along the North Atlantic seaboard and the first place in the U.S. for sunrise viewing from October to early March. When we asked Boston.com readers for the most stunning scenic location in New England, Cadillac Mountain was a clear favorite, outranked only by New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
National park sites drew 312 million recreation visits in 2022, up 15 million visits from 2021, and approaching the pre-pandemic 327 million visits in 2019, according to the park service. The service manages 424 sites, which includes 63 national parks.
“People continue to seek a variety of national park travel experiences — to learn about American history and culture, get active, and enjoy breathtaking scenic views,” Chuck Sams, director of the National Park Service, said in a statement. “We’re excited to see our efforts to increase visitation to parks in the off-season and in parks that are less well-known paying off.”
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Guests can visit national parks for free this year on April 22, Aug. 4, Sept. 23, and Nov. 11.
Bar Harbor was recently named among the best small towns in New England by USA Today readers and among the best spring break getaways in New England by Reader’s Digest.
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