onX Reveals Top 10 Crowd Free, Hikeable National Parks

April 11, 2024
Backcountry

These national parks offer 1,825 miles of trails and 2.9M acres of sparsely visited public lands for undisturbed exploration.

In honor of National Park Week, onX, a pioneer in digital outdoor navigation, has revealed the top 10 least-visited national parks with 50+ miles of trails – under-the-radar experiences every outdoor enthusiast should put on their bucket list. 

The National Park Service reported a record 92.3M visits to the country’s 63 national parks in 2023, a 4% increase over the previous year. Great Smoky Mountain National Park saw over 13M visitors alone, while the Grand Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain national parks each had over 4M visitors. Yet not every national park in our country is equally explored.

This National Park Week (April 20-28, 2024), onX is encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to escape the crowds and get onto the trails. In these 10 hikeable national parks, there is an average 1,036 acres of public land per visitor, per day open. Trail mileage in each park ranges from 56 miles in Oregon’s Crater Lake to 375 miles in Washington’s North Cascade National Park.

With onX Backcountry, hikers, campers, skiers, snowshoers, and more, have the essential mobile tool to plan the ultimate national park trip. The app is an indispensable resource for finding and navigating lesser-known trails, reserving camping options, and venturing into areas with nonexistent or unreliable cell service.

“Visitation to our national parks has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, as Americans explore our country’s vast network of public land. And while a handful of parks see the lion’s share of visitors, most see only a fraction of that attention,” said onX CEO, Laura Orvidas. “We want to inspire outdoor adventurers to experience new and diverse places this year–like the view from Texas’ highest point in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, or Suzy’s Cave on Michigan’s Isle Royale. These are some of our nation’s lesser-known places, home to beautiful trail systems and off-the-beaten-path adventures.”  

The top 10 least visited, hikeable parks to enjoy during National Park Week and all year long are: 

  1. Isle Royale, MI (28,965 visitors in 2023) – A network of 51 trails spanning the park’s 572,000 acres offer 157 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 1.1 miles of trail per visitor per day open, or 3,910 acres per visitor per day open. 
  2. North Cascades, WA (40,351 visitors in 2023) – A network of 113 trails spanning the park’s 505,00 acres offer 375 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 3.4 miles of trail per visitor per day open, or 4,568 acres per visitor per day open. 
  3. Great Basin, NV (143,265 visitors in 2023) – A network of 44 trails spanning the park’s 77,000 acres offer 88 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 196 acres per visitor per day open. 
  4. Voyageurs, MN (220,825 visitors in 2023) – A network of 37 trails spanning the park’s 218,000 acres offer 60 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 360 acres per visitor per day open. 
  5. Guadalupe Mountains, TX (227,340 visitors in 2023) – A network of 36 trails spanning the park’s 86,416 acres offer 143 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 139 acres per visitor per day open. 
  6. Channel Islands, CA (328,746 visitors in 2023) – A network of 105 trails spanning the park’s 250,000 acres offer 183 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 278 acres per visitor per day open. 
  7. Redwood, CA (409,105 visitors in 2023) – A network of 177 trails spanning the park’s 139,091 acres offer 258 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 124 acres per visitor per day open. 
  8. Lassen Volcanic, CA (418,978 visitors in 2023) – A network of 86 trails spanning the park’s 106,000 acres offer 297 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 92 acres per visitor per day open. 
  9. Big Bend, TX (509,129 visitors in 2023) – A network of 102 trails spanning the park’s 801,163 acres offer 208 miles of hiking, averaging out to approximately 574 acres per visitor per day open. 
  10. Crater Lake, OR (559,976 visits in 2023) – A network of 36 trails spanning the park’s 183,224 acres offer 56 miles, averaging out to approximately 119 acres per visitor per day open. 

Outdoor enthusiasts can download onX Backcountry at www.onxmaps.com and enjoy a free 7-day trial. 

About onX Backcountry

onX Backcountry empowers trailblazers and adventure seekers of all kinds to find new outdoor experiences and relive old favorites. Unlike other apps on the market, onX Backcountry combines industry-leading GPS tools with expert-curated adventure content. Members can enjoy access to 770K+ trails and nearly 30,000 guide-book adventures for an annual cost of $29.99. Because off-the-beaten-path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land and promote stewardship opportunities. Learn more at https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives

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Molly Stoecklein

Growing up in the east, Molly’s first claim to fame was a 1998 New York State Ski Ballet Championship title. Since, she’s never lived far from the mountains and now calls Bozeman home. When she’s not heading up PR and Communications for onX, she’s out exploring on skis or bike, or with fly rod in hand.
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