The Trump administration doesn’t want you to know a record number of people visited national parks last year
The highest-ever 331.9 million visitors in 2024 is not being promoted by the agency after more than 1,000 Park Service workers have been fired.
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The National Park Service logged a record 331.9 million visits in 2024, besting a visitation high set in 2016. But don’t expect to hear about that from the agency as it endures layoffs and facility closures.
A memo sent to park managers earlier this month noted that the National Park Service would not be promoting the 2024 visitation record and any media inquiries should be directed to the agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“Parks can publish final data on their website … but should not issue a press release or other proactive communications, including social media posts,” reads the March 5 memo.
The order applies to all national parks, including Rocky Mountain National Park, which played a starring role in the agency’s record-setting year. Rocky Mountain National Park remains one of the most trafficked national parks in the country, ranking as the fifth busiest with 4.15 million visits. That’s down slightly from 2023 and slightly below the park’s 10-year average. Colorado’s 13 park properties reported 7.33 million visits in 2024, down slightly from 2023.
The latest visitation report released last week showing a 2% increase over 2023 lands as the Trump administration fires at least 1,000 employees with the National Park Service and thousands more with the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The administration’s cuts include halting spending for the agencies and canceling leases for buildings used by land managers. (The list of possible cancellations for leased National Park Service buildings included the headquarters of the Natural Resources Stewardship and Science Directorate in Fort Collins.)
“The National Park Service just reported the highest visitation in its history, as the administration conducts massive firings and threatens to close visitor centers and public safety facilities,” Kristen Brengel, the head of public affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association said in a statement. “It’s a slap in the face to the hundreds of millions of people who explored our parks last year and want to keep going back. Americans love their national parks; these cuts do not have public support.”
