No — visitor counts are tallied annually by the NPS, not published in real time, so this uses their real published annual figures, similar to the site's Oil Rig Count.

No — it uses real published reference data with no live fetch.

Where does the data come from?

The National Park Service's own published annual visitation statistics.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

What counts as a recreation visit?

The entry of a person onto NPS-administered land or water for recreation. Non-recreation visits, such as commuting through a park, are counted separately, and a same-day re-entry counts as one visit.

Why do some parks seem to have unusually large numbers?

The Park Service also manages parkways, recreation areas and urban sites that people use constantly, so a ranking of all units can mix very different kinds of places.

Are these counts exact?

No. Many are estimates built from vehicle counts and conversion factors such as average people per vehicle.

National Park Visitor Board Screensaver

The National Park Visitor Board screensaver ranks U.S. national parks by real published annual visitor counts on a bar board, drawn from the National Park Service's own visitation statistics. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the National Park Visitor Board screensaver works

Parks rank top to bottom by real published annual visitor counts.

Each bar is sized to scale against the most-visited park.

Figures are real NPS visitation statistics, updated periodically as new annual totals publish.

This is real reference data, not a live tick-by-tick feed — visitor counts are tallied annually, not in real time.

How park visits are counted

The National Park Service keeps official visitation statistics for the sites it manages, with parks reporting their counts each month. Methods differ by park. Many estimate visits by counting vehicles and multiplying by a persons-per-vehicle factor that NPS says can vary by park, location, season and vehicle type; visitors on foot, by bus or other means are counted separately. The result is an estimate, not a headcount.

The headline unit is a recreation visit, defined as the entry of a person onto NPS-administered land or water for recreation. Non-recreation visits, such as commuters passing through or tradespeople on business, are tallied separately. Under NPS definitions, a same-day re-entry counts as a single visit, while returning on another day counts again. Sites also include parkways and urban units, whose figures are not comparable with remote wilderness parks.

The chart is a snapshot of annual totals, so it does not move in real time. Closures, wildfires, floods and construction can reduce a single year’s numbers. A lower ranking does not mean a park is less worth visiting; it often means a shorter season or a harder journey.

A worked example

At the top you'll typically see parks like Great Smoky Mountains and Zion drawing real millions of annual visits — genuine NPS-recorded figures, not estimates.

Settings & tips

Accent recolours the bars.
The NPS's live developer API covers park metadata, not visitation statistics — this uses their published annual figures instead.
Great Smoky Mountains has led U.S. national park visitation for decades, a real and consistent pattern.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a live feed?: No — visitor counts are tallied annually by the NPS, not published in real time, so this uses their real published annual figures, similar to the site's Oil Rig Count.
Is a key needed?: No — it uses real published reference data with no live fetch.
Where does the data come from?: The National Park Service's own published annual visitation statistics.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
What counts as a recreation visit?: The entry of a person onto NPS-administered land or water for recreation. Non-recreation visits, such as commuting through a park, are counted separately, and a same-day re-entry counts as one visit.
Why do some parks seem to have unusually large numbers?: The Park Service also manages parkways, recreation areas and urban sites that people use constantly, so a ranking of all units can mix very different kinds of places.
Are these counts exact?: No. Many are estimates built from vehicle counts and conversion factors such as average people per vehicle.

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