BOISE, Idaho — Millions of people visited Idaho's state parks in 2020, soaring past record visitation numbers for previous years.
According to officials, state parks recorded a total 7,671,582 visits last year. That's more than 1.2 million more visitors than the previous record, set in 2019.
Idaho State Parks and Recreation says the COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered businesses earlier in the year and set Idaho residents searching for safe ways to entertain themselves, contributed to the spike.
"It's a mind-boggling number," said Idaho Parks and Recreation Board Chairman Brian Beckley. "Never before have we had so many people come out to our parks. But with the pandemic keeping people indoors and isolated, outdoor recreation became one of the few things people could do responsibly to beat COVID cabin fever."
Officials say visitation to the parks have grown steadily year over year, but never with such a dramatic upward surge. The turnout for 2019 stood at 6,468,159 visitors.
Visitation numbers include both day-use visits and overnight campers. Seven million people opted for day trips, officials say, while 647,743 people camped. Camping rates were below that of 2019, likely due to the two-month campground closure related to the pandemic.
Beckley said that although the growth in visitors is exciting, it places additional strain on facilities and park staff.
"No doubt, it's been tough keeping up with the demand," he said. "But our people did their best under some trying circumstances to give the public recreational opportunities."
Idaho has a total of 27 state parks, spanning from the climbing destination City of Rocks near the Idaho-Utah border to the 73-mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes in the Idaho Panhandle. But Lucky Peak State Park just outside of Boise was the most visited of 2020, by far, officials say, breaking the 1 million visitor mark for the first time ever.
"We have an amazing staff that got us through it," said Gary Shelley, manager of Lucky Peak and Eagle Island state parks. "I'm also proud of our visitors and our community for being so generally understanding and cooperative with the need for COVID-19 precautions. It could have gone badly, but they came out, stayed safe and had a good time."
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