Congaree, Dry Tortugas national parks broke visitation records in 2023

Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The National Park Service announced its list of 20 parks that broke visitation records in 2023.

The agency reported a total of 325.5 million guests had visited some 400 of the nation's federally owned parks in 2023, an increase of 13 million people.

In a statement Thursday, National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said visitors to America's parks have been re-discovering the agency's hidden gems over the last year.

"From Kaloko Honokōhau National Historic Park in Hawai'i to Congaree National Park in South Carolina, parks are attracting more visitors each year to learn about our shared history," he said in a release.

The 20 parks that broke visitation records in 2023 are: 

• Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
• Congaree National Park
• Dry Tortugas National Park
• Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
• Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument
• John Muir National Historic Site
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Kaloko Honokōhau National Historic Park
• Keweenaw National Historic Park
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
• Lincoln Memorial
• Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site
• Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park
• Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Memorial
• Minidoka National Historic Site
• Mojave National Preserve
• New River Gorge National Park & Preserve
• Nez Perce National Historic Park
• Ninety Six National Historic Site 

The National Park Service also compiled 15 of the least-visited national parks of 2023, which included Pinnacles National Park, Channel Islands National Park, Katmai National Park and Preserve, National Park of American Samoa and the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.