People visiting national parks in Utah spent $1.7 million in 2022, which ranks third in the country behind California and North Carolina.
That spending resulted in over 23,000 jobs, according to a peer-reviewed analysis conducted by National Park Service economists that looked at communities within 60 miles of a national park. Utah also ranks third in jobs generated by national park visitors.
With over 4.5 million visits last year, Zion National Park in southern Utah generated $672 in visitor spending, the most of any park in the Beehive State.
Ranking second with $301 million in visitor spending is Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which features Lake Powell and stretches into Arizona. Arches National Park in Moab is third ($274 million) in NPS spending in Utah, followed by Bryce Canyon ($219 million), Capitol Reef ($106 million), and Canyonlands ($101 million).
“Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 300 million visitors every year,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said in a statement. “The impact of tourism to national parks is undeniable: bringing jobs and revenue to communities in every state in the country and making national parks an essential driver to the national economy.”
Closest to the Wasatch Back is Timpanogos Cave National Monument, which generated over $10 million in visitor spending last year, according to the report.
The analysis found that 312 million park visitors last year contributed over $50 billion to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct effects, followed by restaurants.
NPS locations in Utah:
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
California National Historic Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Cedar Breaks National Monument
Dinosaur National Park
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Golden Spike National Historical Park
Hovenweep National Monument
Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
Natural Bridges National Monument
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Pony Express National Historic Trail
Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Zion National Park
