If you’re sick and tired of those crowds at your favorite national park, you’re not alone. Many parks have seen a huge increase in visitors in just the last year alone, leading to the implementation of reservation systems that can sometimes be more complicated than helpful. In this article, we will explore some of the least-visited national parks according to 2023 statistics.
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Gates of the Arctic is the northernmost U.S. national park, and its remoteness makes it one of the least-visited with only 11,045 visits in 2023. Located entirely above the Arctic Circle, this 8.5 million-acre park has tons of wilderness with hardly any roads, trails, nor established campsites. Key sights include the rugged Brooks Range, wild rivers, and all of the wildlife, such as caribou, grizzly bears, wolves, and wolverines.
Activities around the park
- Backpacking and wilderness hiking: There are no marked trails, which makes exploring the park a true wilderness adventure. You can hike through river valleys, across tundra, and past granite spires like the Arrigetch Peaks.
- Water sports: Canoeing or kayaking on the Kobuk River is one of the best ways to experience the pristine arctic landscapes of the park.
- View the wildlife: The park is home wildlife that thrives in cold temperatures. If you come during the annual migration, you’ll see caribou, as well as grizzly bears, wolves, dall sheep, and more.
- Native Alaskan culture: Learn about the local Native Alaskan cultures, particularly the Nunamiut Eskimos and Iñupiat people, whose ancestral lands lie within the park.
- Aurora Borealis: During the winter months, the park offers the opportunity to view the Northern Lights.
National Park of American Samoa, American Samoa
The National Park of American Samoa saw a total of 12 135 visitors last year. This is the only U.S. national park located in the Southern Hemisphere, which makes it extra special. The park spans parts of three islands in the South Pacific —Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta‘ū. At this national park, you can explore a mix of tropical rainforests, beaches, and coral reefs, and about 30% of the plants and the Samoan starling are endemic to the islands. One of the major goals of this park is to preserve the traditional Samoan culture, so you can even visit a traditional Samoan village.
Activities around the park
- Hiking: Trek through lush rainforests along trails like the Mount Alava Trail, which provides fantastic views of Pago Pago Harbor. For the highest overlook in the islands, try the Lata Mountain Trail on Ta‘ū.
- Snorkeling and diving: At the National Park of American Samoa, there are vibrant coral reefs with over 950 species of fish and 250 types of coral. The waters are home to sea turtles and humpback whales, which breed in the area during the winter. Try snorkeling or diving to see them up close!
- Samoan cultural experiences: As mentioned before, you can visit traditional Samoan villages to immerse yourself in the local culture and customs. You may even stay with local families, learn about their way of life, and even try traditional foods and crafts.
- Beach activities: The beaches on Ofu Island are regarded as some of the most beautiful in the world due to their white sand. It doesn’t get any better than this!
Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska
Kobuk Valley is famous for the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, which are the largest active sand dunes in the Arctic. According to 2023 statistics, this park had a total of 17,616 visitors. Stretching 25 square miles, the dunes here are unusual, so high north, and they are definitely worth seeing with your own two eyes. The park is a great place to view the caribou migration, with about half a million caribou passing through it annually. Indigenous people have hunted caribou here for over 8,000 years, which makes it sacred.
Activities around the park
- Exploring the sand dunes: You can hike or camp near the Great Kobuk Sand Dunes, which offer a surreal view of the surrounding mountains in the middle of the Arctic tundra.
- Caribou migration: During the fall, visitors can witness one of nature’s most dramatic spectacles as hundreds of thousands of caribou cross the Kobuk River.
- Backcountry camping: Like Gates of the Arctic, Kobuk Valley has no developed facilities, so you have to pack your own gear. Camping here is a true wilderness experience where you can enjoy life at its most adventurous.
- Northern lights: If you visit in the fall or winter, you have a good chance of witnessing the Aurora Borealis in this remote, dark sky park.
- Water sports: The Kobuk River is perfect for float trips. You can paddle down the river in a kayak and stop to explore the sand dunes along the way.
Without a doubt, these three parks show nature at its most authentic. They offer some of the most remote and untouched landscapes in the U.S. National Park System, so if you visit, you’ll get a rare chance to experience the beauty of untouched nature.
