The 10 Most Popular Canyons to Explore in the U.S

If you’re planning a national park adventure, visiting one of these canyons is a good place to start.
Is anyone shocked that the Grand Canyon tops the list?
Is anyone shocked that the Grand Canyon tops the list? | Michael Hanson/GettyImages

Green forests aren’t the only natural landscapes worth exploring. If you’re looking for a change of scenery, consider trekking through one of the many majestic canyons managed by our national park system. These were the canyons that saw the most visitors in 2024, according the tour provider Antelope Canyon.

  1. America’s Most-Visited Canyons in 2024

Data from the National Park Service shows that the Grand Canyon in Arizona was the most popular canyon in the country last year. Although it’s located in a desert, it’s not always hot inside the national park. Hikers can experience temperature fluctuations of 25 degrees when descending 6000 feet from the rim to the canyon floor. That doesn’t dissuade visitors: the Grand Canyon welcomed 4.9 million guests in 2024.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area trails closely behind with about 4.75 million visits last year. The Utah park boasts camping, fishing, guided tours, and more activities for outdoorsy folks. Unfortunately, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Grand Canyon are also among the riskiest national parks to visit due to their challenging terrains. It’s always best to take precautions and plan ahead before your outdoors adventures to avoid accidents. 

Bryce Canyon National Park is the third entry on the list and one of three in Utah. Adventurers come here for various activities, such as biking, hiking, and horseback riding. Even if you’ve never been to the park, you may recognize its rock spires, called “hoodoos.” Bryce Canyon has the largest collection of these structures on Earth, which may be why nearly 3 million people visited in 2024.

America’s Most-Visited Canyons in 2024

Rank

Park Name

State

Number of Visits

1

Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona

4,940,173

2

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

Utah

4,750,964

3

Bryce Canyon National Park

Utah

2,906,221

4

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

Arizona

954,758

5

Canyonlands National Park

Utah

818,492

6

Little River Canyon National Preserve

Alabama

763,209

7

Kings Canyon National Park

California

724,694

8

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Colorado

335,862

9

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

Montana/Wyoming

226,715

10

Walnut Canyon National Monument

Arizona

187,685

If you’d like to broaden your scope, these were the most popular national parks overall in 2024.

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