Spectrum #86: Order these national parks by visitors in a year — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from November 8, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, fewest to most, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these national parks by visitors in a year, fewest at the top and most at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Glacier
- Great Smoky Mountains
- Great Basin
- Everglades
- Gates of the Arctic
- Yellowstone
Nothing was in its place; Great Smoky Mountains opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Gates of the Arctic is the fewest of the six at 14,923 visitors and Great Smoky Mountains the most at 11,527,939 visitors. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Yellowstone (4,762,988 visitors) and Great Smoky Mountains (11,527,939 visitors) — 6,764,951 visitors apart. Everything above that line belongs on the fewest side and everything below it on the most side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Gates of the Arctic (14,923 visitors) and Great Basin (161,210 visitors) are only 146,287 visitors apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Fewest to Most | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gates of the Arctic | 14,923 visitors |
| 2 | Great Basin | 161,210 visitors |
| 3 | Everglades | 778,198 visitors |
| 4 | Glacier | 3,136,557 visitors |
| 5 | Yellowstone | 4,762,988 visitors |
| 6 | Great Smoky Mountains | 11,527,939 visitors |
Previous: Spectrum #85 (Sat, Nov 7) · Next: Spectrum #87 (Mon, Nov 9) · All Spectrum solutions
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.