Key Points
-
A new study analyzed five years of data to reveal the most popular U.S. national parks to visit in the fall.
-
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee topped the list with nearly 20 million autumn visitors and a near-perfect Google rating.
-
Acadia, Zion, Rocky Mountain, and Grand Canyon rounded out the top five, with breathtaking seasonal scenery.
National parks are a treat to visit any time of year, but they’re especially magical in the fall, when the weather has cooled. But with over 60 national parks spread across the U.S. it can be hard to pick just one to center your next trip around. Thankfully, Hellotickets has some data-backed recommendations.
A new study by the travel experiences booking platform analyzed five years of visitor data and Google reviews to find which U.S. national parks are most popular during the fall. The study analyzed National Park Service data from 2020 to 2024, combining visitor numbers, time spent in each park, and online reviews to create a “fall score” out of 100.
Related: Amazon’s Black Friday Deals Are Already Here—Shop Our 70 Favorite Travel Finds Up to 90% Off
After crunching all the numbers, Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee took first place, with a score of 96.9 out of 100
Nearly 20 million people have visited the park between the months of September and November over the past five years, and collectively, they spent more than 132 million hours exploring the park’s iconic ridgelines and forests. Plus, since the Great Smoky Mountains are a famously popular fall foliage destination, many visitors likely got to enjoy its beautiful hues of crimson, ochre, and goldenrod. The park is also one of the most visited in the country, and has a nearly perfect Google Review rating of 4.9 Google rating with 2,000 autumn-specific reviews. Plus, perhaps, best of all, Great Smoky Mountains National Park famously charges no entrance fee.
Douglas Rissing/Getty Images
Fall leaves seen from Beehive Trai in Acadia National Park.
In second place, Acadia National Park in Maine received a score of 84.7. More than 6.2 million visitors have experienced its rocky coastline and wooded trails during the fall, spending nearly 39 million hours in the park. Its 4.9 rating and 1,600 seasonal reviews highlight why Acadia is considered one of the best spots in the U.S. for coastal leaf-peeping, even among Travel + Leisure experts.
“The autumn months turn America’s parks into some of the most beautiful places in the world,” said Jorge Díaz Largo, CEO of Hellotickets, in a statement obtained by T+L. “Parks like Great Smoky Mountains and Acadia truly come alive when the colors peak and the pace slows.”
Zion National Park in Utah ranked third with a fall score of 83.2. Around 6.4 million people have visited in autumn, spending 40 million hours here. Zion also had the highest number of autumn-related reviews in the study, suggesting that visitors especially love visiting Zion National Park during this season.
Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona round out the top five. Both scored above 80 and hold Google ratings of 4.8 or higher. The rest of the top 10 includes Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Bryce Canyon. An honorable mention is the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California, proving that even urban parks can be worthwhile destinations for fall escapes.
Read the original article on Travel & Leisure