Yellowstone National Park has dethroned every rival to become America’s most Googled national park.
The Wyoming-Montana-Idaho preserve, 47, generated more than 7.5 million searches over the past 12 months, according to a new study from airport transportation company hoppa released for National Park Week. The annual observance runs from Aug. 22 through Aug. 30 this year.
The findings arrive as interest in American wilderness vacations surges across the board. Searches for natural vacation spots climbed 27% year-over-year, hoppa reported, suggesting travelers are increasingly looking beyond cities for their getaways.
The company leaned on historical weight to frame the results, quoting Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1934 observation on what makes the parks matter.
“There is nothing so American as our national parks… The fundamental idea behind the parks… Is that the country belongs to the people, that it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us,” the former president said.
Yellowstone’s pull is rooted in its singular landscape. Established in 1872 as the world’s first national park, it packs geothermal spectacles including the Old Faithful geyser and brilliantly colored hot springs alongside one of the Lower 48’s most intact wild ecosystems. Bison, elk, wolves and grizzly bears all roam its 2.2 million acres.
Grand Canyon National Park took second place with 6,123,000 searches, trailing Yellowstone by roughly 1.4 million queries. The Arizona landmark’s massive multicolored canyon, breathtaking overlooks and extensive hiking trails have long made it one of the country’s most recognizable natural attractions.
Zion National Park in Utah locked down third with 5,818,000 searches. The park’s soaring red and pink cliffs, Emerald Pools and famous draws like Angels Landing keep it firmly in the national conversation.
Montana’s Glacier National Park landed fourth at 5,367,000 searches, putting it within striking distance of Zion. California’s Yosemite National Park, famous for its towering granite formations, waterfalls and giant sequoias, completed the top five with 3,864,000 searches.
The cost of entry stands at $35 per vehicle for Yellowstone and most other parks, though that barrier drops entirely on Aug. 25. Entrance fees will be waived across all national parks that day to mark the 110th birthday of the National Park Service.
The second half of the top 10 skewed toward the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Washington State’s Mount Rainier National Park claimed sixth place with 3,519,000 searches, while Olympic National Park, also in Washington, came in seventh at 2,261,000.
Utah landed its second entry when Bryce Canyon National Park attracted 1,888,000 searches for eighth place. The park’s bizarre and beautiful hoodoos — towering rock formations that give the landscape an almost otherworldly appearance — remain its signature draw.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park brought a dramatically different kind of scenery to ninth place with 1,272,500 searches. Visitors there can watch one of two active volcanoes erupting from a safe distance.
An under-the-radar Southern contender rounded out the rankings. Arkansas’ Hot Springs National Park, nicknamed “America’s Spa” for its 40 hot springs, pulled in 1,266,500 Google searches to take 10th.