Florida national parks see more visitors in 2025, led by Big Cypress

Zoom in: South Florida's three national parks and Big Cypress National Preserve received 1.7% more visitors than in 2024, despite a government shutdown and National Park Service layoffs.

• Big Cypress, the Everglades and Dry Tortugas national parks each saw a year-over-year uptick.
• Big Cypress led all parks with about 2.3 million visitors, followed by the Everglades at over 778,000.
• Biscayne National Park was the only park to see a decrease, with visitors down 5%.

By the numbers: Outdoor recreation contributed 3.8% of Florida's GDP in 2024, according to new U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

• That's in current dollars and is equivalent to nearly $65 billion.
• Florida is home to other federally designated lands and 175 state parks (including 100 miles of beaches).

Follow the money: Florida ranks second in the nation for total value added from the great outdoors, behind California.

• We're a premier spot in the U.S. for boating and fishing, which generated $4.4 billion here — the largest sum nationwide. Hunting brought in around $974 million.
• Our recreation industry and related tourism also contributed over 508,000 full- and part-time jobs, or 4.9% of total employment last year.