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State Park Visitors Increase Sharply

Attendance at North Carolina’s state parks has been on a steep rise in the past three years.

In 2016, the N.C. State Parks centennial year, attendance set a recordfor the third straight year with 18.8 million visitors. That’s up 9 percent from 2015 and a whopping 32 percent just since 2013. In the years prior to 2014, parks attendance had barely fluctuated for five straight years.

All but eight of the state’s 39 parks and recreation areas reported increases in visitation in 2016. With 1.8 million visitors, William B. Umstead State Park in Wake County had the most and was one of six park units to see more than 1 million visitors.

Parks spokesman Charlie Peek credits improved infrastructure and activities, but said the population moving away from rural communities to cities has made it important for people to find green space for exercise.

Visitors to North Carolina State Parks by year.
Credit N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation
Visitors to North Carolina State Parks by year.

"You have a more urban population and they want to get outdoors more. The more they do it, the more they find that they like it," he said. "We have certain parks, particularly those that are close to urban areas, we find that are just absolutely exploding in popularity."

An informal sailing regatta at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area.
Credit Courtesy of North Carolina State Parks
An informal sailing regatta at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area.

Parks officials said they want to increase connectivity to other green spaces in urban communities, like local parks along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

An increased focus on exercise has also contributed to the higher visitation figures. "The whole movement has just gained momentum in the past few years," said Peek. "More people are jogging, more people are biking, and more people are just finding it necessary to get outside and get exercise."

Jason deBruyn is WUNC's Supervising Editor for Digital News, a position he took in 2024. He has been in the WUNC newsroom since 2016 as a reporter.
Rebecca Martinez produces podcasts at WUNC. She’s been at the station since 2013, when she produced Morning Edition and reported for newscasts and radio features. Rebecca also serves on WUNC’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) Committee.
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