Cuyahoga Valley National Park visitation by year

Cuyahoga Valley National Park visitation reached 3,025,325 recreation visits in 2025, up 3.9% from 2024. The highest count in the 1979–2025 dataset is 3,527,837 in 1997. These are visits, not unique people.

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Two people stand at the edge of a gray rock cliff; in the distance, sunset and trees in fall colors.
Ledges OverlookNPS Photo / Tim Fenner
People in bright orange kayaks paddle around a bend in a river, past green trees and a rocky shore.
Cuyahoga RiverNPS Photo / D.J. Reiser

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Cuyahoga Valley visitation by year

47 years of annual recreation visits, 1979–2025. The chart shows the long-run shape; the table keeps every total and its change from the previous year.

Annual recreation visits from 1979 to 2025. Highest: 3,527,837 in 1997. Lowest: 543,025 in 1979. Latest: 3,025,325 in 2025. Exact numbers follow in the table. 0900k1.8m2.7m3.6m 1979: 543,025 recreation visits1997: 3,527,837 recreation visits2025: 3,025,325 recreation visits 197919902000201020202025Annual recreation visits from 1979 to 2025. Highest: 3,527,837 in 1997. Lowest: 543,025 in 1979. Latest: 3,025,325 in 2025. Exact numbers follow in the table. 01.8m3.6m 1979: 543,025 recreation visits1997: 3,527,837 recreation visits2025: 3,025,325 recreation visits 197920022025
Latest: 2025Highest: 1997Lowest: 1979
Annual recreation visits and change from the previous year, 1979 to 2025
YearRecreation visitsYear-over-year
1979543,025
1980563,300+3.7%
1981596,300+5.9%
1982717,815+20.4%
1983939,562+30.9%
19841,018,828+8.4%
19851,004,858-1.4%
19861,042,148+3.7%
19871,113,405+6.8%
19881,229,717+10.4%
19891,159,648-5.7%
19901,200,622+3.5%
19911,358,984+13.2%
19921,430,382+5.3%
19932,266,139+58.4%
19943,266,401+44.1%
19953,195,207-2.2%
19963,455,878+8.2%
1997Highest3,527,837+2.1%
19983,467,107-1.7%
19993,324,284-4.1%
20003,324,918+0.0%
20013,123,353-6.1%
20023,217,935+3.0%
20032,879,591-10.5%
20043,306,175+14.8%
20052,533,827-23.4%
20062,468,816-2.6%
20072,486,656+0.7%
20082,828,233+13.7%
20092,589,288-8.4%
20102,492,670-3.7%
20112,161,185-13.3%
20122,299,722+6.4%
20132,103,010-8.6%
20142,189,849+4.1%
20152,284,612+4.3%
20162,423,390+6.1%
20172,226,879-8.1%
20182,096,053-5.9%
20192,237,997+6.8%
20202,755,628+23.1%
20212,575,275-6.5%
20222,913,312+13.1%
20232,860,059-1.8%
20242,912,454+1.8%
2025Latest3,025,325+3.9%

What the visitation trend shows

Read the latest total alongside the record and earlier years.

2025 in the annual record. It ranks 11 of 47 annual totals, 14.2% below the 1997 maximum of 3,527,837. The latest total is up 3.9% from 2024.

The longer comparison. 2025 is 32.4% above 2015's 2,284,612 visits. This compares two endpoints, not uninterrupted growth or decline. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA).

Read individual years. The source records 3,527,837 in 1997 and 2,912,454 in 2024. The table retains each intervening year. Annual counts do not establish the cause of a change or predict crowding on a particular date.

Questions about Cuyahoga Valley visitation

How many visits did Cuyahoga Valley record in 2025?

3,025,325 recreation visits, compared with 2,912,454 in 2024. These are visits, not unique people.

What was Cuyahoga Valley's highest recorded visitation year?

The maximum in this 1979–2025 dataset is 3,527,837 in 1997. This is a record within the displayed years, not a claim about earlier history.

Is Cuyahoga Valley visitation increasing?

The reported 2025 total is up 3.9% from 2024. 2025 is 32.4% above 2015's 2,284,612 visits. This compares two endpoints, not uninterrupted growth or decline. Annual totals alone do not explain what caused a change.

What was Cuyahoga Valley's lowest recorded visitation year?

1979 has the lowest count in the 1979–2025 series: 543,025 recreation visits. The annual table preserves the original totals; it does not establish why a low occurred.

How we built this page.

An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.

Official annual data
NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. Each total sums twelve monthly TRV recreation-visit values for reporting unit CUVA. The table covers 1979–2025.
What is counted
Visits, not unique visitors. Repeat visits are not combined into distinct people. The totals do not measure visitor spending, individual trails or parking availability.
Reading changes
Recorded changes do not establish causes. Year-over-year percentages compare a total with the previous year. Historical reporting practices and boundaries may differ. The series maximum makes no claim about years before 1979.
Comparing years
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA). Annual totals use one reporting unit and the same NPS data package throughout. Historical counting practices and park boundaries may differ; a change in recorded visits does not by itself establish what caused it.