Tim Phillips Show, 3/17/26

There are 63 National Parks in the U.S., but some get a lot more visitors than others. The National Park Service (NPS) has announced their latest visitation numbers, revealing which parks saw the largest crowds last year, and which ones you can visit to escape them.

According to NPS data, the national park system had 323-million visitors in 2025. That’s about 8.8-million fewer than in 2024, but despite that drop, 26 of the 433 sites in the NPS system - which includes national parks, monuments, historic sites, battlefields, recreation areas, seashores and more - had more visitors than ever last year.
The most popular national park has topped the list for decades and it had twice as many visitors as the second most-visited park last year.
So, which one did people flock to most in 2025? Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina.
It had over 11-million visitors last year, down almost 600-thousand from 2024.
Coming in second is Zion National Park in Utah, with 4.9-million visitors last year.
If you’re looking to escape all the people, the least-visited national park is Kobuk Valley National Park in Alaska. Located 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle, it had just 7,786 visits in 2025, a huge drop from the more than 17-thousand visitors in 2024.
Remote parks are always less crowded, four of the five least-visited U.S. parks are in Alaska.
America’s Most Popular National Parks in 2025

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina (11.5 million visitors)
Zion National Park, Utah (4.9 million)
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (4.7 million)
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (4.4 million)
Yosemite National Park, California (4.2 million)
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (4.1 million)
Acadia National Park, Maine (4 million)
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (3.8 million)
Olympic National Park, Washington (3.5 million)
Glacier National Park, Montana (3.1 million)
The Least-Visited National Parks in 2025

Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska (7,786 visitors)
Gates of the Arctic National Park, Alaska (14,923)
Lake Clark National Park, Alaska (19,778)
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan (9,091)
Katmai National Park, Alaska (34,479)
Source: National Park Service

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Tim's News You Can't Use 

According to WalletHub, when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, some cities just do it better than others. From parades to the number of Irish pubs to the percentage of Irish population, these are the best cities in the U.S. to party on St. Patrick’s Day:
Boston, Massachusetts
Reno, Nevada
Savannah, Georgia
Overland Park, Kansas
Henderson, Nevada
Omaha, Nebraska
New York, New York
St. Paul, Minnesota
Worcester, Massachusetts
Buffalo, New York
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174% more beer and 153% more spirits are sold on March 17th than on an average day in America, according to Moody’s.
About half of Americans plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year. 20% will attend a party. 29% will go to a bar. 
80% of those celebrating will wear green.
Overall, Americans spend $4.4 billion celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. The average person will spend about $35.
It takes 40 pounds of eco-friendly dye to turn the Chicago River green, and it lasts just five hours.
The average number of drinks consumed per person on St. Patrick’s Day is 4.2.
31% of Americans plan to cook a special meal for St. Patrick’s Day.
31.5 million Americans claim at least some Irish heritage, second only to German and 6.4 times Ireland's population.
There are 11 cities, towns, and townships in America officially named Dublin.
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WSAV says health care providers are planning to offer mobile IV services this year for St Patrick's Day. The services are going to be offered to people, who drink too much. The IVs will have essential vitamins and nutrients to help people recover faster from their hangover. Tackl Health, in Savannah, Georgia, introduced the mobile concept.  
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KASN says the World's Shortest St Patrick's Day Parade is going to take place in Hot Springs, Arkansas today. The parade route is 98 feet long 
The Virginian Review says the Shortest St Patrick’s Day Parade is going to be held today in Clifton Forge, Virginia. Attendees are encouraged to wear green, wear a kilt  and bring their dancing shoes. The parade usually features an  “Ugliest Knees” competition.
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The Moon is officially safe from a massive asteroid that scientists once feared was on a collision course with us. While there were concerns that a 300-foot "city killer" rock could slam into the lunar surface in 2032, new data confirms it’s actually going to miss by over 12,000 miles. This is a huge relief, because — if that thing had hit — the explosion would have sent a cloud of lunar debris into space that could have shredded a bunch of satellites floating around out there.
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UPI says a Galveston, Indiana gravedigger recently retired after a record 73 years and 75 days on the job. Allen McCloskey began as a fill-in in 1952 at the Galveston Cemetery. In 2021, he earned the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a grave digger, with 68 years and 191 days on the job. Allen was planning on digging for a few more weeks, but does not feel well. 
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Non Stop Local says a Richland, Washington woman and her mother recently found a grenade in a relative's drawer during an early Spring Cleaning. They called the Richland Police. The bomb squad arrived and removed the device. The department noted that finds like this are not uncommon and urged people to stay cautious. 
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ABC says a syrup truck recently overturned on the 10 Freeway in Fontana, California. The syrup stretched across all westbound lanes. A traffic jam stretched more than five miles. Cleanup crews laid down sand and waited for a water truck to spray down the sticky mess.  By late afternoon, the truck had been removed but syrup was still oozing across the main lanes.  Drivers were urged to avoid the area
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Never haul bananas while over the legal limit. A drunk driver caused quite a mess in Plano, Texas, early Sunday morning after cutting off a semi-truck hauling bananas on U.S. 75, forcing the driver to overcorrect and flip the big rig. The 18-wheeler hit a pole and overturned near the Legacy Drive exit, spilling its load of bananas across the road. The driver of the vehicle that caused the crash was arrested for driving while intoxicated. The northbound service road was shut down for several hours overnight while crews cleared the wreck and the produce. 
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KTTC says a Tulsa, Oklahoma woman recently drove a stolen car into her ex-boyfriend's home. Annabel Torres stole a car belonging to her ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend. She then drove it into his house. Torres also hit two other parked cars. She fought officers as they tried to arrest her
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A Florida man has pleaded guilty to a pair of felony charges after pulling a gun outside a Clearwater sports bar because the karaoke machine wasn't working. Thirty-five-year-old Aaron Jablonski pled guilty to aggravated assault and an illegal firearms charge after the 2:30 am incident outside the Overtime Sports Bar. When another patron tried to calm him down, Jablonski pulled a gun and fired off a round. He was taken into custody after entering his plea and is set to be sentenced March 31st. Jablonski, a convicted felon, was barred from possessing a firearm; his preferred karaoke song was not mentioned in court records