There are about 400 different locations in the U.S. national parks system and in total they receive about 10 million visitors every year. However, some of the parks are pretty lonely as they attract very few visitors for one reason or another, which is usually the remote locations. These are 10 of the least-visited national parks in America.
1. Katmai National Park, Alaska
(photo by whaledancer99)
This southern Alaskan park is filled with active volcanoes, brown bears, and numerous hiking trails. It usually gets about 100,000 visitors each year. There are 14 active volcanoes in the park and you’re almost bound to run into a brown bear while hiking. It’s a pretty wild part of the world weather-wise as violent rains storms can come at a moment’s notice and last for several days. You might go for days on end before seeing the sun shine through.
2. Great Basin National Park, Nevada
(photo by rogerlynn)
This park lies in Nevada, close to the Utah border. It’s quite remote and features a rough desert terrain. There’s no sign of civilization around for miles and the skies can get pretty dark here. This makes it an ideal spot for viewing the Milky Way and the shining stars.
3. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
(photo by jstephenconn)
This Alaskan national park is the biggest in America at about 13 million acres in size. It’s bigger than nine of America’s 50 states. It’s so big that you literally have dozens of square miles to yourself, especially considering it’s one of the least visited parks in the nation.
4. Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
(photo by:Â ricsae)
This park is located about 70 miles to the west of Key West. The park consists of several islands, but there aren’t any sources of fresh water here. What you will find here is Fort Jefferson, which was erected originally to protect the region from pirate attacks. It was also used in the American Civil War as a Union outpost. It’s a popular spot with bird watchers as you can find over 300 species of migrating birds here.
5. North Cascades National Park, Washington
(photo by walakazoo)
This is an ideal park for hikers as there are over 400 miles trails here. In addition, you’ll also find about 300 glaciers. The scenery here is spectacular and the views of the majestic mountains from the thick green forests are out of this world.
6. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
(photo by joeross)
The only ways to get to this magnificent park are by air and sea. There aren’t too many animals on the island, but the ones that are there are pretty fearless as you’ll find wolves and moose. This is Lake Superior’s biggest island and the coastline and scenery are second to none.
7. Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska
(photo by  ilya_ktsn)
This park is about the same size as the country of Switzerland and features beautiful lakes, mountains, and valleys. The scenery is fabulous and you don’t have to worry about any crowds while enjoying and exploring the magnificent wilderness.
8. The National Park of American Samoa
(photo by naomit)
This beautiful park comes with a rain forest and some colourful coral reef. However, you’ll have to leave the American mainland to visit it as it’s actually closer to Australia than America. The natural beauty and wildlife are simply magnificent.
9. Lake Clark National Park and Preservation Area, Alaska
(photo by NPCA Photos)
You might be able to hike for days here and not run into another soul as the park averages about 15 to 20 visitors a day. There are three mountain ranges in the park as well as glaciers and active volcanoes. Years ago, the only way to reach the park was by dog-sled. However, with modern technology, you can use a snowmobile these days.
10. Kobuk Valley National Park
(photo by baggis)
This park is located north of the Arctic Circle. You won’t find any roads or trails here, which means you’ll need to hike to it or arrive by snowmobile or dog sled. There are plenty of caribou here as well as some pretty impressive sand dunes. It averages about 1,000 visitors per year.
