As Popular As Ever: People Are Still Getting Outdoors in Record Numbers

National parks and other outdoor spaces saw an enormous boost in visitors around the pandemic. The crowds are why numerous parks now utilize booking systems. In many cases, those numbers have actually decreased. In 2023, with the world back open for business after COVID closures, some expected to see a decline in visitors. Nevertheless, initial numbers for last year show getting outdoors is as popular as ever.

A new North Carolina State Parks press release states 2023 set a new record for visitors outdoors. More than 20.1 million people visited the state’s parks. That’s a 4% boost from 2022, or an astounding 755,000 more people.

“We were excited to welcome more visitors to enjoy our naturally wonderful state parks, specifically as several of our parks have just recently added new camping sites and visitor centers and as we commemorated the Year of the Trail,” said State Parks Director Brian Strong in their release. “I commend our staff for their continued hard work in ensuring the best possible visitor experience while staying real to our mission of preservation, recreation, and education.”

NC state parks saw visitors outdoors in record numbers in 2023

Grandpa Mountain State Park in North Carolina. (Source: Wes Hicks) The most popular state park in North Carolina is Jordan Lake State Entertainment Location, which opened its gates to more than 2.5 million visitors.

The increase in visitors isn’t only impacting state parks. While the National Park System has not officially released its 2023 visitation numbers, some initial numbers are readily available for select parks.

Remaining in western North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most gone to national forest on the planet, saw a boost from 2022. According to local media sources, GSMNP welcomed 13,218,573. However, this initial number did not beat the all-time high set in 2021.

Other parks with early numbers consist of Joshua Tree, where media reports the numbers from 2023 are. The park might have likewise set a record with an approximated 3,270,404 last year.

Did you notice more people outdoors in 2023?

Initial numbers for 2023 reveal people getting outdoors in record numbers at both state park and national park locations.

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