2025 visitor report affirms popularity of Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Cruise guests watched the sun set from the observation deck - Jon Okerstrom photo

March 23, 2026

261,000 visitors explored the enchanting islands, singing sand beaches, spectacular sandstone sea caves, and rich cultural history of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in 2025. A new report from the National Park Service says that number is about 7,000 more than visited the lakeshore in 2024. 2025’s total is nowhere near the record crowds set during the ice caves year of 2014 or the pandemic year of 2021, but the attraction many people feel about this park remains strong. The long-term trend line is up.

Recreation visits graph for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore from 1980 to 2025

Recreation visits graph for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore from 1980 to 2025

Visitation by Month

The warm summer months of July end August continue to be the most popular time to visit the islands. 2024 visitation peaked in July, while the peak happened one month later in 2025.

Recreation visits graph by month for 2024 and 2025.

Recreation visits graph by month for 2024 and 2025

Camping Trends

Interestingly, the use of backcountry campsites on the islands is relatively low compared to the peak years. The dramatic dip to zero was the year the pandemic forced closure of the campsites.

Backcountry overnights graph for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore from 1980 to 2025

Campsite use in the Lakeshore peaked in August in 2024 and in July 2025. You can learn about camping opportunities in the Discover the Park section on our website or on the NPS website. There you will find a map of the campsite locations, as well as information about how to reserve a site.

Backcountry overnights graph for Apostle Islands National Lakeshore from 1980 to 2025

Back country overnights graph by month for 2024 and 2025.

Back country overnights graph by month for 2024 and 2025.

2024 visitors spending pie chart for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore - $49.3 million total

2024 visitors spending pie chart for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore – $49.3 million total – click to enlarge

Economic Impact

Visitors to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore continue to have a major economic impact on communities surrounding the park. The newest economic data available covers 2024. In that year, 254,000 park visitors spent an estimated $49.3 million in local gateway regions while visiting Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. These dollars supported a total of 472 jobs, $20.0 million in labor income, $34.6 million in value added, and $60.1 million in economic output in local gateway economies.

The Big Picture About Our National Parks

Nationally, the NPS recorded more than 323 million recreation visits in 2025, including over 13 million overnight stays. While this is a decline of almost 3% over the record year 2024, 26 parks set new visitation records. “America’s national parks continue to be places where people come to experience our country’s history, landscapes and shared heritage,” said Jessica Bowron, Comptroller, Exercising the Delegated Authority of the Director, in a news release.

Recreation visits graph for all national parks 1980 to 2025

Recreation visits graph for all national parks 1980 to 2025

Top 10 National Parks and Visits
Great Smoky Mountains NP 11,527,939
Zion NP 4,984,525
Yellowstone NP 4,762,988
Grand Canyon NP 4,430,653
Yosemite NP 4,278,413
Rocky Mountain NP 4,171,431
Acadia NP 4,079,318
Grand Teton NP 3,800,648
Olympic NP 3,584,187
Glacier NP 3,136,557

 

You can explore visitor data for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore and for other national parks on the National Park Service website. Better yet, we encourage you to explore and experience the Lakeshore We Love for yourself this summer, and add to the visit count for 2026.

Kayakers from Lost Creek Adventures

Kayakers from Lost Creek Adventures

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