Utah is known for its “Mighty 5″ national parks, but its most-visited state park last year topped three national parks as more visitors continue to gravitate to what else Utah has to offer.

Utah’s 46 state parks, combined, attracted over 12.9 million visits in 2024, a 7.5% increase over the previous record set in 2023, according to a KSL.com analysis of Utah Division of State Parks data. Last year marked the second straight year that state parks broke visitation records and the fourth time that has happened since 2020.

“State parks had another banner year,” said Devan Chavez, the division’s spokesman, attributing the ongoing success to high reservoir levels and “word of mouth” as people find that Utah is more than just five parks.

It also comes as state tourism officials have tried to disperse visitation to beyond the Mighty 5.

Utah’s busiest state parks

Interestingly enough, Utah’s 10 most-visited state parks didn’t change from 2023 to 2024, but there were some changes within the order of popularity last year.

Reservoir- or lake-based state parks accounted for half of the 10 most-visited parks again in 2024, as the reservoir system peaked at 93% capacity last year — its highest point in over a decade.

Sand Hollow State Park in Washington County was again the state’s most popular park, leading the charge with 1.53 million visits last year. Its surge wasn’t just an 8% increase from 2023, but it attracted more visits than Arches, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands national parks.

Chavez said Utah State Parks has collected anecdotal evidence in recent years that indicates Sand Hollow and other state parks in southwest Utah are becoming more regional draws than ever before, a trend that emerged with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“A good number of visitors to those St. George area parks, especially Sand Hollow, are coming from out of state,” he told KSL.com. “They’re coming from Las Vegas, Mesquite (Nevada), Arizona and sometimes Los Angeles.”

Chavez said many of the out-of-staters have come back because they enjoyed the experience when they traveled for the first time.

Utah's most-visited state parks in 2024

  • Sand Hollow (Washington County): 1,530,337
  • Dead Horse Point (Grand County): 1,140,267
  • Antelope Island (Davis County): 1,047,499
  • Snow Canyon (Washington County): 994,796
  • Jordanelle (Wasatch County): 916,404
  • Willard Bay (Box Elder County): 818,539
  • Wasatch Mountain (Wasatch County): 800,135
  • Deer Creek (Wasatch County): 702,398
  • Bear Lake (Rich County): 665,667
  • Goblin Valley (Emery County): 503,676

Source: Utah Division of State Parks

Its growth is also partially tied to efforts from the Utah Office of Tourism to spread out Might 5 visitation to other parks to avoid overcrowding.

“They are a key part of our pillar as we’re talking about distributing visitation,” said Natalie Randall, the office’s director. “State parks add to that diversity and offering beyond national parks, while still including them. It’s a way for visitors to extend their trip in a community.”

The Great Salt Lake appears to have been a big draw last year, too. Antelope Island — always a crowd-pleaser — leaped past Snow Canyon to be Utah’s third most-visited state park in 2024, as it surpassed 1 million visitors for the first time since 2021.

A rider walks with their horse before the 36th annual Bison Roundup, held at Antelope Island State Park, southwest of Syracuse, on Oct. 26, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Great Salt Lake Marina State Park in Salt Lake County fell outside of the Top 10, but its 268,651 visitors last year was a 59% increase from 2023. Park managers released data last month showing that visitors came from all over the world to check out the lake, but they said it also got a local bump from residents who decided to check it out as water levels reached a five-year high in 2024 amid efforts to protect the dwindling lake.

Meanwhile, Wasatch Mountain State Park in Wasatch County was the fastest grower among the Top 10. It surpassed 800,000 visits, an 18% jump from 2023, bouncing up from the state’s ninth busiest in 2023 to the state’s seventh busiest in 2024.

Utah’s least busy parks

Utah’s least-visited parks also stayed the same in 2024, with a slightly different order. Museums and historical centers generally don’t attract the same amount of traffic because many people may only check them out once and never return.

Utah's least-visited state parks in 2024

  • Anasazi Indian Village (Garfield County): 787
  • Piute (Piute County): 1,864
  • Flight Park State Recreation Area (Utah County): 3,837
  • Red Fleet (Uintah County): 6,296
  • Camp Floyd - Stage Coach Inn (Utah County): 11,683
  • Edge Of The Cedars (San Juan County): 13,301
  • Frontier Homestead (Iron County): 14,555
  • Territorial Statehouse (Millard County): 17,296
  • Lost Creek (Morgan County): 25,462
  • Utahraptor (Grand County): 25,688

Source: Utah Division of State Parks

Others are low because they just haven’t captured an audience yet, which is why Chavez isn’t sure that the Bottom 10 will repeat itself this year.

He explains that it typically takes a few years to get people to try new state parks. He points to Echo State Park as an example. It was established in 2018, but most of its amenities were completed in 2023. Visitation quickly followed, jumping from a little over 25,000 visits in 2022 to back-to-back years above 130,000 visitors in 2023 and 2024.

An undated photo of Utahraptor State Park north of Moab. The park will have its official grand opening later this year. | Alex Cabrero, KSL-TV

A similar spike could happen at Utahraptor State Park, which was established in 2021 but won’t have its official grand opening until this spring. It’s slated to offer more camping options, as well as hiking, biking and off-highway vehicle riding trails in an already busy park corridor surrounding Moab. The park’s visitor center also aims to offer lessons about the land’s prehistoric and historic nature.

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“We’re going to have something for everybody,” Chavez said. “This will truly be a do-it-all park that pays homage to everything from outdoor recreation to the culture and historic side.”

Construction to add new amenities is also wrapping up at Red Fleet State Park in Vernal, while Lost Creek State Park is gaining a new following after being established alongside Utahraptor State Park. The Morgan County reservoir remained in the Bottom 10 but nearly doubled its visitation from 2023.

State park officials are also tracking low snowpack levels that could impact some reservoirs later this year, particularly in southern Utah. Chavez said the division will offer updates to conditions and any possible ramp closures regularly.

Both factors could influence 2025 visitation trends.

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