Every NPS unit in Tennessee.
Tennessee's 15 NPS units: 2 National Scenic Trails · 2 National Military Parks · 2 National Historical Parks · 2 National Battlefields · 2 National Historic Trails · 1 National Historic Site · 1 National River & Recreation Area · 1 National Park · 1 Parkway · 1 Wild & Scenic River. Combined 5-year-average annual visits: 29,660,558 (multi-state units count their full visits in every state they touch — see methodology). The most-visited unit is Great Smoky Mountains National Park at about 12.82M annual visits.
| Unit | Designation | 5-yr avg visits | Busiest month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | National ParkGRSM | 12,823,320 | October |
| Natchez Trace Parkway | ParkwayNATR | 7,017,870 | October |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail | National Scenic TrailAPPA | 6,215,118 | July |
| Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park | National Military ParkCHCH | 981,242 | July |
| Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area | National River & Recreation AreaBISO | 790,481 | October |
| Cumberland Gap National Historical Park | National Historical ParkCUGA | 767,728 | October |
| Stones River National Battlefield | National BattlefieldSTRI | 404,752 | May |
| Shiloh National Military Park | National Military ParkSHIL | 372,782 | May |
| Fort Donelson National Battlefield | National BattlefieldFODO | 183,133 | May |
| Andrew Johnson National Historic Site | National Historic SiteANJO | 55,230 | May |
| Manhattan Project National Historical Park | National Historical ParkMAPR | 48,902 | July |
| Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail | National Scenic TrailNATT | — | — |
| Obed Wild & Scenic River | Wild & Scenic RiverOBED | — | — |
| Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail | National Historic TrailOVVI | — | — |
| Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail | National Historic TrailTRTE | — | — |
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.
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.