MISSOULA — New numbers from Montana State Parks managers confirm what park users have been noticing this pandemic year - that many of the state's 55 parks have been much busier than usual.
Once some of the lockdowns started to end as summer approached, lots of people rushed to get outside and Montana parks saw a steady stream of visitors all season long.
New numbers from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks show that visitation is up by about 25% compared with the same January through June period last year - that doesn't reflect the bulk of the summer traffic.
Giant Springs State Park in Great Falls was the most visited park during that stretch, with nearly 200,000 reported visits.
Parks Administrator Beth Shumate praised parks staff and volunteers for going "above and beyond" to keep the parks open during what she calls a "time of uncertainty."
The biggest increase in visits during the first half of the year was at Makoshika State Park in eastern Montana, where visits increased more than 59% over last year.
The top five most visited parks between January and June of this year were:
- Giant Springs State Park, Great Falls - 199,774 visits (up 7.1%)
- Flathead Lake State Park (all units), Flathead Lake - 159,640 visits (up 29.6%)
- Cooney Reservoir State Park, Roberts - 149,650 visits (up 39.9%)
- Lake Elmo State Park, Billings - 120,747 visits (up 50.7%)
- Spring Meadow Lake State Park, Helena - 79,659 visits (up 29.5%)
While visitation increased at nearly 80% of state parks across Montana, there were several parks that experienced a drop in visitation due to facility closures, as well as the lack of school field trips and group activities attributable to COVID-19.
