Category Ranking
Least Crowded National Parks
The 10 national parks where you can still find solitude. Ranked by congestion index — a composite of visitors per trail mile, campsite pressure, and seasonal concentration.
Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve
The ultimate solitude park — 500,000 acres shared by fewer than 17,000 visitors annually. You'll likely see more mountain goats than people.
Isle Royale National Park
No paved roads, no cell service, no crowds. Gates of the Arctic is wilderness in its purest form, accessible only by bush plane or long hike.
Katmai National Park & Preserve
Eight million acres of Alaskan wilderness with barely any visitors. The largest national park is also one of the emptiest.
Kobuk Valley National Park
Lake Clark is the fly-in park that most people have never heard of. Volcanic landscapes, salmon runs, and maybe a dozen fellow visitors on any given day.
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve
Katmai is famous for bear-watching at Brooks Falls, but beyond that one spot, the park's 4 million acres are virtually empty.
North Cascades National Park
The deepest canyon in North America gets a fraction of Grand Canyon's visitors. The reward: dramatic scenery without the shuttle bus crowds.
National Park of American Samoa
A volcanic wilderness island in the middle of Lake Superior. Getting here requires a ferry or seaplane — the journey filters out the casual visitor.
Great Basin National Park
Channel Islands requires a boat ride to reach, which keeps visitor numbers naturally low. Think Galápagos, but off the California coast.
Denali National Park & Preserve
A park made of water — 95% is underwater. Accessible mainly by boat, Dry Tortugas rewards the effort with clear waters and Fort Jefferson.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
One of the newest national parks, Pinnacles offers rock climbing and cave exploration without the crowds of nearby Yosemite.