Few destinations attract outdoor enthusiasts like America’s national parks. Among the various ways to experience these natural wonders, RV camping stands out as a popular choice. Consequently, states boasting numerous national parks also witness a significant influx of RV overnight stays. Most popular is California, proudly hosting nine national parks, securing its position as the state with the highest number of RV campers, nearing a staggering 600,000 overnight stays—a remarkable 3.5 times more than the runner-up state.
Not to be outdone, other leading states enticing RV travelers include Utah, housing five majestic parks, and Colorado, with four splendid destinations. Following closely are Montana and Tennessee, each boasting two of the system’s most beloved parks, namely Yellowstone and Great Smoky Mountains, respectively.
While national parks unquestionably garner substantial recreational visits, let’s not overlook the National Park Service’s maintenance of national recreation areas, parkways, historical parks, and national seashores—each drawing their fair share of visitors’ attention. Nevertheless, national parks continue to hold sway as the primary magnet.
To identify which particular national parks attract the most RV visitors, researchers at Outdoorsy analyzed National Park Service data from 2017 to 2019. Parameters such as the total number of recreation visits, overnight stays, and specifically RV camper stays were evaluated. The fruits of their labor culminated in a ranking of parks based on the average annual number of RV camper overnight stays.
Without further ado, let’s unveil the most popular national parks for RV adventurers.
The most popular national parks for RVs
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15. Kings Canyon National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 36,846
- Total overnight stays: 232,286
- Total recreation visits: 674,688
- Total park area (acres): 461,901
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14. Bryce Canyon National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 38,219
- Total overnight stays: 132,120
- Total recreation visits: 2,615,355
- Total park area (acres): 35,835
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13. Shenandoah National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 54,699
- Total overnight stays: 317,515
- Total recreation visits: 1,383,087
- Total park area (acres): 199,224
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12. Acadia National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 57,241
- Total overnight stays: 217,588
- Total recreation visits: 3,494,711
- Total park area (acres): 49,077
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11. Rocky Mountain National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 64,484
- Total overnight stays: 233,196
- Total recreation visits: 4,565,920
- Total park area (acres): 265,807
RELATED
Home to more than 400 square miles of majestic peaks that soar as high as 14,000 feet, Rocky Mountain National Park is the perfect getaway this spring.
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10. Grand Canyon National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 67,476
- Total overnight stays: 1,224,546
- Total recreation visits: 6,203,048
- Total park area (acres): 1,201,647
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9. Sequoia National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 68,055
- Total overnight stays: 312,060
- Total recreation visits: 1,255,634
- Total park area (acres): 404,063
Photo Credit: Alamy Stock Photo
8. Zion National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 74,382
- Total overnight stays: 334,645
- Total recreation visits: 4,437,704
- Total park area (acres): 147,243
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7. Yellowstone National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 74,929
- Total overnight stays: 1,417,285
- Total recreation visits: 4,083,937
- Total park area (acres): 2,219,791
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6. Olympic National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 75,774
- Total overnight stays: 441,629
- Total recreation visits: 3,250,752
- Total park area (acres): 922,649
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5. Joshua Tree National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 76,604
- Total overnight stays: 400,780
- Total recreation visits: 2,928,183
- Total park area (acres): 795,156
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4. Death Valley National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 97,069
- Total overnight stays: 216,725
- Total recreation visits: 1,571,477
- Total park area (acres): 3,408,396
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3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 112,429
- Total overnight stays: 398,779
- Total recreation visits: 11,769,279
- Total park area (acres): 522,427
RELATED
Outdoorsy has detailed guides on America’s national parks, including Olympic National Park in Washington and Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddling Tennessee and North Carolina.
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2. Glacier National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 115,768
- Total overnight stays: 381,367
- Total recreation visits: 3,106,887
- Total park area (acres): 1,013,126
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1. Yosemite National Park
- Number of overnight stays by RV campers: 255,180
- Total overnight stays: 1,576,865
- Total recreation visits: 4,256,396
- Total park area (acres): 761,748
And when you visit Yosemite National Park, be sure to come see us at Outdoorsy Yosemite. We’re an RV resort situated on Bass Lake that provides easy access to the park. You can even have an RV rental delivered right to your campsite if you don’t have one of your own – for easy Yosemite enjoying.
Detailed findings & methodology
All data is from the National Park Service. To determine the most popular national parks for RVs, researchers used data from 2017 through 2019 to rank national parks by the average annual number of overnight stays by RV campers. In the event of a tie, the national park with the greater number of total overnight stays (including lodge guests, backcountry campers, tent campers, etc.) was ranked higher.