A Golden Gate National Park ranger keeps spectators away from the water as three demonstrators scale the south tower of the Golden Gate Bridge and unfurl a banner intended to draw attention to Chinese human rights violations in Tibet in San Francisco, California, on April 7, 2008. Protestors are staging demonstrations against the Chinese government as the city of San Francisco prepares to host the Olympic torch relay on Wednesday. San Francisco is on tenterhooks ahead of the Olympic flame's procession through the city on April 9, which follows London and Paris events which were severely disrupted by pro-Tibet protesters. (Photo: Ryan Anson/AFP/Getty Images) 
A view of corn shucks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, an 800-square mile range in the Appalachian Mountains which form the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, circa 1980. (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 
An aerial picture of the Grand Canyon in Arizona taken on July 1, 2013 from around 30,000 feet (10,000m). The Grand Canyon, considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (1.8km). Nearly two billion years of the Earth's geological history has been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists, recent evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to its present-day configuration. (Photo: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images) 
A view of Half Dome and the Yosemite Valley on August 28, 2013 in Yosemite Nationall Park, California. As the Rim Fire continues to burn on the western edge of Yosemite National Park, the valley floor of the park remains open. The Rim Fire has charred more than 190,000 acres of forest and is currently 30 percent contained. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
View of the 'Crested Pool' hot spring with it's unique colors caused by brown, orange and yellow algae-like bacteria that thrive in the cooling water, turning the vivid aqua-blue to a murkier greenish brown, in the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming on June 2, 2011. Yellowstone National Park, was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Grant on March 1, 1872. The park is located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho and was the first national park in the world. It is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially the Old Faithful Geyser. (Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) 
Trail Ridge Road is seen in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. (Photo: Kevin Moloney/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO — America’s national parks welcomed a record-breaking 292.8 million visits in 2014, shattering the previous record of 287.1 million visits set in 1999.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area took the top spot in the National Park Service’s list of the most visited places in the National Park System for the second year in a row, while Great Smoky Mountain National Park was the most popular national park.
The National Park Service’s 405 park sites include the 59 headliner national parks, national seashores, national monuments and other designations.
“As the National Park Service strives to share a more inclusive and well-rounded version of the American story through the places we care for, it is gratifying to see more people than ever coming to their national parks to enjoy nature, learn about history, and spend time with their families,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis in a press statement.
“As we look ahead to our centennial in 2016, I am looking forward to announcing a new record-breaking number of visitors coming to experience national parks next year and beyond.”
The most popular national park sites
National park sites saw 20.2 million more visits in 2014 than in the previous year, according to National Park Service visitation data. In 2013, the national park sites counted just 273 million visits, due to the 16-day U.S. government shutdown which forced many national sites to close.
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area had more than 15 million visits last year, while second-place Blue Ridge Parkway hosted 13.9 million visits. Great Smoky Mountains National Park came in third place in the list of most visited park sites with 10 million visits.
Of the 59 specially designated national parks, Great Smoky Mountains was the most visited, while Grand Canyon National Park came in second place, with 4.8 million visitors. Yosemite came in third place with 3.9 million visitors.
Visitors certainly love their national park sites, and here are their favorites for 2014.
Top 10 most-visited National Park Service sites
1. Golden Gate National Recreation Area (15 million)
2. Blue Ridge Parkway (13.9 million)
3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (10 million)
4. George Washington Memorial Parkway (7.5 million)
5. Lincoln Memorial (7.1 million)
6. Lake Mead National Recreation Area (6.9 million)
7. Gateway National Recreation Area (6 million)
8. Natchez Trace Parkway (5.8 million)
9. Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park (5 million)
10. Grand Canyon National Park (4.8 million)
Top 10 most-visited national parks
1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (10 million)
2. Grand Canyon National Park (4.8 million)
3. Yosemite National Park (3.9 million)
4. Yellowstone National Park (3.5 million)
5. Rocky Mountain National Park (3.4 million)
6. Olympic National Park (3.2 million)
7. Zion National Park (3.2 million)
8. Grand Teton National Park (2.8 million)
9. Acadia National Park (2.6 million)
10. Glacier National Park (2.3 million)