Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway continue to be two of the most influential national parks in the country. Data from the National Park Service shows that the Smokies remain the most economically influential national park in the country, with the parkway not far behind. Both saw a moderate increase in economic activity and remain among the most visited national parks in the country.
The Smokies contributed more than $2.2 billion in visitor spending in 2023, ahead of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area at $1.5 billion and the Parkway at $1.4 billion, according to National Park Service data released Aug. 21.
Both the Smokies and the Parkway exceeded their reported 2022 economic impact estimates, and the two parks’ 2023 economic output—the estimated value of goods, services and sales indirectly supported by the national parks—was reported to cumulatively exceed $5.1 billion.
“I am so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impression on more than 300 million visitors each year,” said Chuck Sams, director of the National Park Service, in an August 27 press release.. “And I am equally proud to see that these visitors, in turn, are making a positive impact by supporting local economies and job creation in every state across the country.”
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which spans half a million acres of rugged, forested terrain in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, is consistently one of the most visited national parks in the country, with approximately 13.3 million visitors in 2023. However, the “most visited” designation still goes to the historic Blue Ridge Parkway, which was visited by 16.7 million people in 2023, according to the NPS.
“The 2023 Visitor Spending Report is a reminder of the important relationship between the historic 469-mile parkway, the numerous communities through which the park passes, and park visitors,” said Tracy Swartout, superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway, in an Aug. 27 press release about the economic data.
The long, narrow park stretches 469 winding miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, across the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, and runs right through Asheville to its end at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Cherokee. In 2023, most visitor spending on the parkway—an estimated 62%—came in North Carolina, where visitors can take parkway drives over the Linn Cove Viaduct and past Grandfather Mountain. In the Smokies, only about 44% of visitor spending occurred in North Carolina.
“Our ability to protect these special places is closely tied to the vitality of local economies for current and future generations. In short, America’s national parks continue to be great investments,” Swartout continued.
Overall, the parkway is expected to support over 19,000 jobs between Virginia and North Carolina in 2023, according to NPS data. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park supported over 33,748 jobs.
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Will Hofmann is the growth and development reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Tim.it.
