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Virginia State Parks welcomed more than 8 million visitors in 2023 and this is a 9% increase over the prior year. Having more programs available for guests, debuting new festivals and events as well as opening a new park contributed to this success.
Sweet Run State Park, located in Loudon County, became Virginia's 43 state park adding nearly 900 acres to the park system with 11 miles of hiking trails and 9 miles of equestrian trails. After the ribbon cutting event in May of 2023, park staff transitioned to managing the land and park programs and word spread quickly about the new opportunities available.
Governor Glenn Youngkin officially opens Sweet Run State Park
"Outdoor recreation continues to be an important activity to so many Virginians as well as to the visitors that come from out-of-state,” said DCR Director Matthew Wells. "The programs and activities we offer at our parks provide opportunities for everyone to experience new adventures, connect with nature and enjoy time with friends and family all while experiencing the beauty of the 43 Virginia state parks."
Sweet Run along with many other state parks offer birding programs, and this was one of the extremely popular program topics that brought guests to many Virginia State Parks. Other popular programs included topics such as archery, fishing, the Chesapeake Bay and historical tours.
Guided birding hike at Seven Bends State Park
"Grayson Highlands nearly doubled their attendance and offered 100 more programs than last year," said Chief of Education and Interpretation Katie Shepard. "Kiptopeke's programs that focused on the Chesapeake Bay were popular with visitors, reaching over 2,300 more people than last year. Learning which programs work best for each park really help better connect the community and guests to the park."
Concrete Fleet at Kiptopeke State Park
More programs lead to more attendance and interpretive programs saw a 17% increase with 338,427 participants. Whether people enjoyed visiting the park solo or participating in ranger-lead activities, it was clear that the park programs are gaining more interest each year. People really seemed to enjoy building their outdoor skills.
"We are excited to see that more people discovered what makes Virginia State Parks special through ranger-guided hikes, paddle tours, campfire stories and family programs," said Virginia State Parks Director Dr. Melissa Baker. "Visitors learned outdoor skills like fishing and archery, gazed into the night sky with volunteer astronomers, adventured through wild caves and learned about the people of the past and why they matter in the present. School field trips provided opportunities for students to experience firsthand the resources they learn about in the classroom. Every day our dedicated staff worked hard to create meaningful, memorable experiences for all Virginia State Parks visitors."
Archery program and learning to throw an atlatl at Powhatan State Park
A new park festival focused on the nation’s largest native fruit also brought more guests to Virginia State Parks. The first Pawpaw Festival was held at Powhatan State Park which really helped increase appreciation and attendance to the park. The event included music, food, drinks and activities for the whole family to enjoy. This event will become an annual celebration at the park and is sure to continue to draw guests from all over.
In addition to taking a day trip for events, more guests are discovering the benefits of camping and staying overnight at a state park to enjoy the scenery and to allow for more time being spent participating in programs and activities.
Camping and cabin guests have also shown an upward trend with overnight guests accounting for nearly 1.6 million visitors while day use attendance surpassed 6.4 million. This is a 9% increase from 2022 and confirms that more people are understanding the benefits of enjoying time outdoors, especially at a Virginia State Park.
Camping at First Landing State Park
A variety of new interpretive programs and park events were key in allowing for more attendance at Virginia State Parks.
Here are some more notable highlights from 2023:
Visitation records are tracked by the number of vehicles that visit each state park. The amount of foot traffic that enters each park, the number of overnight guests staying onsite as well as any of the staff members that are working at or visiting the parks are also accounted for in the tracking research.
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