One of the Most Popular National Parks is Just Up the Road

I'm willing to bet you've hopped in the car and visited the smallest National Park in the U.S.

When I saw this list for "America's 25 Most Popular National Parks", I couldn't help but start singing "America the Beautiful." Of course, I sang this in my head as not make people think there was a dying cat in the room. America truly is beautiful, and we're so fortunate to live in a state with such beautiful scenery. Not to mention, the gorgeous National Park just up the road from here.

In fact, that park is one of the most popular in the nation.

I read "popular" as most beautiful. I mean, no one would go to an ugly park... right? Maybe that arrogance stems from the fact that Arkansas landed on this list, compiled by the travel site Thrillist. It doesn't appear that this list is in a ranked order, by any means, but Hot Springs has found its place among the greats.

So just how many people are visiting this park?

According to Thrillist, Hot Springs sees 1.5 million visitors every single year. This is a big deal because this National Park is actual the smallest one in the country and is the 16th-most visited. I've actually got this place on my bucket list for those very popular hot springs. Momma needs a good soak. Ha!