A new study by Hellotickets looked at five years of visitor numbers and Google reviews to find the most popular U.S. national parks to visit in fall. They used data from 2020 to 2024 and created a “fall score” out of 100 based on how many people visited, how long they stayed, and what reviews said.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Is No. 1
The top spot goes to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, with a score of 96.9/100.
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Nearly 20 million people visited in fall over the last five years.
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Visitors spent 132 million hours exploring its forests and mountains.
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The park is known for its stunning fall colors in red, orange, and gold.
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It also has a 4.9 Google rating with over 2,000 fall reviews.
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Best of all, there is no entry fee.
Acadia National Park Is No. 2
Next is Acadia National Park in Maine with a score of 84.7.
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More than 6.2 million fall visitors explored its rocky coastline and forest trails.
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It also has a 4.9 rating and 1,600 fall reviews.
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Acadia is considered one of America’s top places for coastal fall foliage.
Zion National Park Is No. 3
Zion National Park in Utah scored 83.2.
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Over 6.4 million people visited during fall, spending 40 million hours there.
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It had the highest number of fall-specific reviews, showing how much people enjoy this season in Zion.
Other Top Parks
The rest of the top five include:
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Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
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Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Both parks scored above 80 and have excellent visitor ratings.
The full top 10 also includes:
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Yosemite
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Yellowstone
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Grand Teton
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Bryce Canyon
An honorable mention goes to Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California, proving that even parks near cities can be great fall getaways.
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