America’s best national parks to visit this fall including Great Smoky Mountains

A new study by Hellotickets has crunched five years of visitor data and online reviews to reveal where travellers are heading for the ultimate fall experience, with Great Smoky Mountains National Park coming out on top.

The travel platform analysed National Park Service data from 2020 to 2024, combining visitor numbers, time spent in each park and Google reviews to create a unique fall score out of 100.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee leads the list with a near-perfect score of 96.9. Almost 20 million people have visited between September and November over the past five years, spending more than 132 million hours among its misty ridges and golden forests. The park holds a 4.9 Google rating from 1,848 autumn-related reviews – more than almost any other park in the U.S.

Acadia National Park in Maine ranks second with a score of 84.7. Over 6.2 million visitors have made their way there during the autumn months, spending nearly 39 million hours exploring its rocky coastline and forest trails. With a 4.9 Google rating and 1,639 seasonal reviews, Acadia remains one of America’s favourite coastal escapes for leaf-peeping season.

Zion National Park in Utah takes third place with a score of 83.2. Between 2020 and 2024, it welcomed 6.45 million fall visitors, who spent over 40 million hours wandering through its red-rock canyons. Zion also logged the highest number of autumn-specific reviews in the study – 2,323 in total.

Coming fourth is Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, which earned a score of 82.3. Around 5.5 million people visited during the autumn months –spending more than 35 million hours among golden aspens and mountain trails. The park has a 4.9 rating from 1,175 autumn reviews, reflecting consistently positive visitor feedback.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona ranks fifth with a score of 81.9. Nearly six million travellers visited during the fall, spending about 91 million hours taking in its iconic views – the third-highest total of any park. It holds a 4.8 Google rating with 947 autumn-related reviews.

Yosemite National Park in California comes sixth with a score of 81.1. Almost five million visitors explored its waterfalls, forests and granite cliffs between 2020 and 2024, spending close to 69 million hours in the park. Yosemite keeps a 4.8 rating from 1,343 autumn reviews.

In seventh place sits Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, scoring 78.2. The park welcomed 5.65 million visitors during the autumn months, who spent an incredible 98.5 million hours among its geysers, hot springs and wildlife – the second-highest total recorded. It holds a 4.8 Google rating from 479 autumn reviews.

Also in Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park ranks eighth with a score of 76.8. Around 4.4 million people visited during fall, spending more than 24 million hours across its lakes, peaks and valleys. The park maintains a 4.9 Google rating backed by 762 autumn reviews.

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah takes ninth place with a score of 75.7. It drew 3.2 million visitors during the season and received 1,219 autumn-related reviews, keeping its strong 4.9 rating intact.

Rounding out the top ten is California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which scored 71.9. Despite sitting beside San Francisco’s urban sprawl, the park saw 18.6 million fall visitors – second only to the Smokies – spending nearly 49 million hours along its coastal paths and viewpoints. It holds a 4.7 Google rating from 122 seasonal reviews.

“The autumn months turn America’s parks into some of the most beautiful places in the world,” said Jorge Díaz Largo, CEO and Founder of Hellotickets . “Parks like Great Smoky Mountains and Acadia are incredible at any time of year, but they truly come alive in fall, when colours peak and the crowds feel different.

“What stood out in the data was that even parks with fewer overall visitors, like Zion, tend to receive far more reviews in autumn – showing that travellers really connect with the season.”