By state · FL

National Parks in Florida.

Florida's NPS network at a glance — units, designations, visit totals, and what shapes the visiting season.

By Nicholas Major · Last updated

Florida has more than ten NPS units across its peninsula and Keys — Everglades, Biscayne, Dry Tortugas, Big Cypress, De Soto, Castillo de San Marcos, Fort Matanzas, Canaveral, Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve, plus the joint Gulf Islands National Seashore. Miami (MIA) anchors the southern parks; Jacksonville (JAX) anchors the northern. Everglades is the state's flagship — the only subtropical National Park in the United States and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The dry season (December through April) is the practical visiting window for all Florida NPS units: lower humidity, fewer biting insects, and concentrated wildlife sightings as water levels fall. Hurricane season (June through November) and summer heat make peak-summer visits workable but uncomfortable. Dry Tortugas requires a ferry or seaplane from Key West.

Every NPS unit in Florida.

Florida's 10 NPS units: 3 National Parks · 2 National Seashores · 2 National Monuments · 1 National Preserve · 1 National Memorial · 1 Ecological & Historic Preserve. Combined 5-year-average annual visits: 15,484,590 (multi-state units count their full visits in every state they touch — see methodology). The most-visited unit is Gulf Islands National Seashore at about 6.96M annual visits.

UnitDesignation5-yr avg visitsBusiest month
Gulf Islands National Seashore National SeashoreGUIS 6,959,985 July
Big Cypress National Preserve National PreserveBICY 2,358,594 March
Canaveral National Seashore National SeashoreCANA 2,148,049 March
Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve Ecological & Historic PreserveTIMU 1,020,812 July
Everglades National Park National ParkEVER 885,539 February
Fort Matanzas National Monument National MonumentFOMA 661,149 July
Biscayne National Park National ParkBISC 595,340 May
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument National MonumentCASA 589,612 March
De Soto National Memorial National MemorialDESO 181,346 March
Dry Tortugas National Park National ParkDRTO 84,164 May

Methodology

Unit list and per-unit visit counts come from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. The "5-year average visits" column is the mean of 2021-2025 Recreation Visits. Multi-state NPS units (Yellowstone, Death Valley, Great Smoky Mountains and others) are listed under every state they touch; the per-unit visit count is the unit's total, not a per-state share. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.

Independence

Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.

Last updated · 2026-05-19