Despite The Pandemic, Visitors Are Still Flocking To One Idaho Park

It's not just Idahoans who are enthusiastic about getting out of the house.  Thousands every month are flocking to one of our prime outdoor spots, and millions more are expected this year.  

With restrictions lifting and pent-up energy launching us out of our houses as if we were cannonballs, outdoor vacations are going to be huge again this year.  After a surprisingly successful year of visits last year at national parks, millions are expected to be back again this year.

Yellowstone wasn't the top national park to visit in 2020, but it was near the top.  For much of last year, it felt like nobody was going anywhere, but apparently, that wasn't the case.

Fox News said Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee was the most-visited out of 62 national parks, with 12.1 million visitors last year, and it's has been the top national park since 1944.

Yellowstone National Park, of course, covers parts of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming followed in second place with 3.8 million visitors.  Zion National Park in Utah came in third, with 3.6 million visitors, according to Fox News.

The National Park Service's most popular spot overall was the Blue Ridge Parkway which covers 469 miles and winds through Virginia and North Carolina.  That scenic route had 14.1 million visitors in 2020, and it makes sense because so many people last year wanted to take a drive.  I bet half of the visitors were moms that needed a break from home-schooling, and the other half were remote workers looking for a better Zoom background than the living room ceiling.

Overall the NPS had 237 million visitors in 2020, which is mind-blowing considering all of the closures and quarantines.  As things open up again, the summer of 2021 will be big for national parks.

Much of Yellowstone was shut down for the winter, and the park will start re-opening roads on April 16th.  I visited Yellowstone in 2018 and can't wait to go back!  The scenery is gorgeous, and it's the breath of fresh air that we all need right now.  Now is a good time to start planning the trip.

Fifteen national parks set new records for visitors last year and five parks broke visitor records they had set in 2019.  All during a pandemic, which is more proof that outdoor vacations are where it's at.