In 2022, the Blue Ridge Parkway welcomed almost 16 million visitors along its 469-mile route, making it once again the most visited national park in America. But while this number is lower than the 22.8 million visitors in 2021, it still surpassed other national parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite and even the Grand Canyon. According to the National Park Service report, visitors spent $1.3 billion in 2021 in regions around the Blue Ridge Parkway. Leesa Brandon, external affairs specialist for Blue Ridge Parkway said, “A lot of the variability on the Parkway, I think, has to do with weather conditions from year to year. If we have a mild winter versus a very cold and harsh winter, the road could be open or closed more or less often.” This year the Parkway is starting off strong with more than half-a-million visitors in January, which is over 200,000 more than the previous year.
