EXCITING NEWS

Park'rs you did it, you broke all previous attendance records for park visitation in 2016. Virginia State Parks hit a record-high with 10,022,698 visitors, which was a 12 percent increase over 2015.

If you are a numbers person then check this out: we went from 8,890,544 in 2015 to 10,022,698 in 2016 which is an increase by 1,132,154, and we skipped the 9 million mark, entirely. The reports are conservative in that 12 percent, it is almost 13 percent when you do the math.

Horseback riders pause to take in the beautiful Virginia scenery along the river

at New River Trail State Park

Virginia State Parks, managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), hosted more than 1 million overnight visitors in cabins and campgrounds in 2016, an increase of nearly 3 percent over 2015. You are like family, and we love it when you spend the night, or the week.

State Parks Director Craig Seaver wrote:

"Our 80th anniversary year was an awesome one filled with a lot of exciting events and record attendance. This was accomplished in spite of a couple of uninvited guests showing up named Hermine and Matthew.

The partnership with the National Park Service through the “Find your Park”, and “Every Kid in a Park” initiatives, as well as their 100th year celebration brought a new generation of park users out to state and national parks. The nationwide numbers of folks visiting parks is staggering. National parks saw over 308 million visitors and the nations’ state park systems experienced over 750 million visitors in 2016.

Noted explorer and naturalist John Muir prophetically described this phenomenon in his writings in 1901 when he stated “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity”. How true this is in today’s culture and society some 116 years later."

PEOPLE NEED PARKS 

PARKS NEED PEOPLE

Conservation and Recreation

Those figures seem staggering, but when you spread them out across 37 Virginia State Parks that equal over 73,050 acres combined (as of Nov 2, 2016), there is plenty of space for everyone to enjoy and recreate.

Each time you visit a Virginia State Park you are supporting the conservation of flora, fauna and cultural resources, which we want to maintain for future generations. Kudos on your helping to preserve our state and nation's natural and cultural treasures.

The Breakdown

"In 2016, 548,398 individuals attended interpretive and educational programs, an increased emphasis was placed on the use of social media, numerous special events were held surrounding our 80th anniversary, and our volunteer hours increased by 54,611 (25%). All of these and more contributed to our ability to offer awesome park experiences and programs to our guests," added Director Seaver. 

Your volunteer hours blew us away, how incredibly blessed we are to have such dedicated volunteers at Virginia State Parks.

You can learn more about volunteering opportunities at your favorite park here.

A Word from the Governor:

“Virginia’s State Park system is the best in the country, and more Virginians and visitors are taking advantage than ever before,” said Governor McAuliffe. “State Parks are a vital part of communities large and small, attracting visitors to the region and generating substantial tourism revenue that directly benefits our local economies.

From opening Natural Bridge State Park to making historic investments in the Virginia Treasures Program, this administration has worked hard to protect and expand opportunities to interact with the countless natural and historic attractions our Commonwealth has to offer. I want to thank the staff at the Department of Conservation and Recreation for their hard work making our state park system a world-class asset for the people of Virginia.”

DCR Director Clyde Cristman mentioned:

“When attendance increases, so does the economic impact of the state park system. Visitors spend money in the parks, in local communities and traveling to and from parks. Our 37 state parks have an impact of more than $222 million on Virginia’s economy.”

Your Virginia State Parks are economic engines that fuel the local and state economy. Tourism and outdoor recreation are essential to Virginia, and you are an important contributor to the state's economy. 

Natural Bridge opened as a Virginia State Park in September

Unstoppable Park Visitation

The addition of Natural Bridge State Park, which is in Rockbridge County, accounted for 45,869 visitors since DCR assumed management on September 24, 2016.

The increases also came despite the fact that several parks in the Tidewater and Northern Neck regions were closed for weeks because of hurricanes. The storms negatively affected their visitation, overnight attendance and revenue.

Read it for Yourself

A specific breakdown and attendance summary of each one of our 37 Virginia State Parks can be found here (PDF). 

A Special Thank You

Thank you to each person reading this for supporting, enjoying and spreading the word that being an outsider is actually a good thing when it comes to Virginia State Parks. Simply put, we couldn't do it without you.

We look forward to another banner year in 2017, and considering you broke all records on the very first day of the year with over 19,000 of you going outside for First Day Hikes at Virginia State Parks, there is no stopping you.

FIND YOUR PARK