People Are Visiting Wisconsin’s State Parks In Record Numbers

A record-high number of people visited Wisconsin’s state parks this past fiscal year.

Exactly 15,520,904 people visited parks in fiscal year 2015, marking an increase of almost 250,000 people from the year before. With this season’s warm weather continuing into October, Chris Pedretti with the Bureau of Parks and Recreation said the increase in park visitors could mean a boost for local economies around state lands.

“When you’re getting this many people coming in and staying in the areas and hopefully then going out and visiting other businesses, other attractions and different things within the communities, I think it’s a huge bonus for the local economies and the state as a whole,” said Pedretti.

Even with park admission fees set to increase in 2016, Pedretti said he’s hopeful attendance will continue its current upward trend. Annual trail passes for 2016 will increase from $20 to $25, while a daily trail pass will increase from $4 to $5.

State parks also saw an increase in camping reservations, with campers staying 388,250 nights in 2015. Pedretti said it’s too early to tell if a slight increase in camping fees in July affected the number of campers.

“We’re certainly planning on keeping things going like they are and getting people out into the parks,” Pedretti said.

Here’s a chart breaking down park attendance over time: