National parks bring in billions of dollars to Utah's economy

Utah gets more cash, jobs and visitors from national parks than almost any other state.

Driving the news: Utah's parks generate more than $2 billion in economic activity, according to data released this month by the National Park Service.

• Utah is ranked No. 3 for park-related economic activity, behind only California and North Carolina.
• Visitors to our parks spent about $1.6 billion, with another $800 million in income from 22,900 jobs supported by the parks.

Utah's most visited (and most lucrative) park is Zion, whose 5 million visits were topped only by Great Smoky Mountains' 14 million — at least among the 63 formal national parks.

• There are hundreds of sites nationwide that are operated by the National Parks Service; the most visited nationally is the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia.
• Glen Canyon is Utah's second most visited NPS site, with visitors directly spending more than $332 million in Utah and Arizona — more than even Colorado's popular Rocky Mountain National Park.

By the numbers: There were 15.8 million visits to Utah's parks in 2021.

• With 2.1 million visits generating $252 million, Bryce Canyon was Utah's third most-visited NPS site.
• But Arches brought more money to the state than Bryce, with an economic impact of $294 million from the park's 1.8 million visitors.

Yes, but: The popularity of Utah's national parks has taken a toll on facilities and visitor access.

• Arches now requires a reservation to enter the park from April to October.
• Visitors must enter a lottery for a pass to hike to Zion’s iconic Angel's Landing.