National parks are scattered all throughout the U.S., and because each offers such varied vistas and awe-inspiring sites, Americans remain fascinated with every visit. From the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park to the forest stretching more than 300 feet tall in Redwood National Park, these parks offer visitors a chance to connect with nature while taking in breathtaking wonders of the world.

At Sudoku Bliss, we know that life can be hectic and how important it is to take time to slow down and relax. While certain days at national parks can provide a perfect oasis for unwinding, on other days, visitors pack the trails making it difficult to find peace. In those moments, even a quick break with an online Sudoku puzzle can help you reset, refocus, and enjoy a bit of calm wherever you are. That’s why we set out to learn which national parks receive the most complaints about crowded experiences.

To do this, we collected more than 849,000 Google reviews for 63 national parks for mentions of 50 keywords related to crowds, long lines, and more. We then calculated the percentage of negative reviews that mentioned complaints of various categories, including crowds. We used this percentage to rank parks, accordingly. Read on to learn how your favorite parks ranked.

Key Takeaways

• Zion and Arches are the top two most crowded national parks.
• Zion National Park has the longest lines.
• Zion National Park has the most packed parking lots.
• Yellowstone National Park has the worst traffic.
• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve has the most complaints of bad experiences from visitors.

The Most Congested National Parks, According to Visitors

For many travelers, a trip to a national park is supposed to be an escape from the noise. But for some parks, crowds are nearly always a part of the experience. After analyzing reviews, we discovered that Zion National Park in Utah had the highest count of crowded conditions mentioned as 36.54% of negative reviews included this specific complaint.

According to recreation visitor counts from 2024, Zion saw the second highest count of people at 4,946,592 visitors among national parks, second only to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (12,191,834). In 2025, Zion National Park saw the most visitors between April and June. If you’re hoping to visit the park during less busy times to avoid the crowd, perhaps you should schedule your trip in January as this has been the slowest month for the park for the past four years.

Next up for the most crowded parks is the Arches National Park (25.66%), which like Zion is also located in Utah. This park is home to the highest concentration of natural stone arches on Earth with more than 2,000 documented throughout the area. If you’re a fan of geology who’s worried about feeling too cramped, you may want to visit during lower visitor months like December, January, or February. If you find yourself traveling to the park between March and October, park officials warn you could be waiting about an hour for entry.

Coming in third place is the Acadia National Park with 24.17% of negative reviews including complaints about long lines and crowded conditions. Home to Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the Atlantic seaboard, Acadia is known for its striking coastline views. Over the past three years, the park has seen a steady increase in annual visitors, with the biggest peaks during summer months. In fact, in August of 2025, Acadia National Park recorded more than 844,000 visitors.

Overall, more than 323 million people visited national parks in 2025, as 26 parks set new visitation records. Despite the millions of visitors making their way to the parks each year, we found some locations received significantly less complaints regarding crowding.

When analyzing negative reviews for mentions of long lines, packed trails, traffic jams, and more, we found seven parks with zero mentions. This created a seven-way tie for the least crowded parks as the National Park of American Samoa, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai, Fjords National Park, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve all claimed first place.

Parks with the Most Visitor Complaints Beyond Crowds

In addition to our overall ranking for crowds, we wanted to learn about other factors that a visitor may complain about when visiting a busy park. For this portion of the study, we divided our list of keywords into four categories: long lines, busy parking lots, traffic, and negative experiences.

Once again, Zion National Park tops the list as it ranks first for the longest lines and most packed parking lots. Coming in second place for the longest lines is Arches National Park as 29.29% of negative reviews include mentions of long waits in lines. This is followed by Pinnacles National Park (22.95%) and Mount Rainier National Park (22.61%) in third and fourth place, respectively.

When visiting national parks during peak times of the year, circling a parking lot searching for a spot can be common. With 3.83% of reviews including complaints, Pinnacles National Park claims second place for the most packed parking lots. Following closely behind are Acadia National Park (3.61%), Yosemite National Park (3.12%), and Sequoia National Park (2.78%) in third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.

Before you can even begin looking for a place to park, you must first beat the traffic leading up to the entrance. While some visitors find themselves luckily gaining easy access thanks to empty roads, others find themselves waiting in bumper-to-bumper traffic as lines slowly trudge along. Topping the list for the worst traffic among national parks is Yellowstone (4.58%), located in Wyoming, Montana, and Utah.

As a final aspect of our study, we wanted to learn which parks visitors felt weren’t worth the trip, or simply reported a negative experience. Leading the way with 11.11% of negative reviews mentioning the overall experience is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska. This is followed by the Petrified Forest National Park (6.63%) and Joshua Tree National Park (6.19%) in second and third place.

Take a Break from Crowds with Sudoku

Even while looking over the most beautiful views in nature, crowds can be overwhelming. For those moments when the noise, lines, and traffic take away from the experience, sometimes the best reset is a quieter one. If you find yourself looking for an escape from the chaos, let Sudoku Bliss offer you a moment of reprieve.

From the comfort of a park bench or a quieter spot on a trail, you can challenge your mind with a game of Sudoku. Whether you are a beginner seeking a medium-level puzzle, or are a more experienced player with the desire to try out an expert, evil-level, or killer puzzle our team is here to offer you a break from the crowds.

Methodology

In this study, we set out to learn which national parks in the U.S. are the most overcrowded. To do this, we analyzed more than 849,000 Google reviews of 63 national parks for mentions of 50 keywords related to overcrowdedness, long lines, long waits, and more.

We then divided the number of reviews with 3 or fewer stars that mention at least one keyword by the total number of reviews with 3 or fewer stars to create a percentage of overcrowded mentions. We then ranked the national parks based on this percentage.

Finally, we divided the keywords into four categories: long lines/waits, busy parking lots, bad traffic, and negative experiences. We calculated the total number of mentions for keywords by category and then divided that number by the number of reviews with 3 or fewer stars to calculate a percentage of mentions for each category and ranked parks accordingly.