State park visitation on the decline

Temperate weather with a few cold spells during the first quarter of 2022 contributed to a slight decrease in the number of overall visitors to state parks in Montana, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reported last week.

The state park system recorded 358,230 visitors in the first quarter, a decrease of 8.6% from 2021, but an increase of 9.3% over the same period of time in 2020 and an increase of 62 percent over 2019.

“We’re grateful for the cooler temperatures and some moisture along with the benefit that has for the habitat and resources at our sites,” said Hope Stockwell, administrator of the Parks and Outdoor Recreation Division at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “While that may have contributed to a decrease in visitation this quarter, our numbers remain high compared to historic levels.”

The five most visited state parks in first quarter of 2022 were:

Giant Springs State Park, Great Falls – 79,355 visitors

Spring Meadow Lake State Park, Helena – 39,000 visitors

Flathead Lake State Park (all units), Flathead Lake – 28,612 visitors

Cooney Reservoir State Park, Roberts – 25,935 visitors

Lake Elmo State Park, Billings – 18,081 visitors

Visitation snapshot for the first quarter of 2022:

Northwest Montana's Region 1 saw an estimated 71,980 visitors across its eight parks reporting visitation figures during the first quarter of this year, an estimated 13.5% decrease in visitation compared with last year.

West Montana's Region 2 saw an estimated 42,836 visitors across its nine parks reporting visitation figures during the first quarter of this year, an estimated 25.3% decrease in visitation compared with last year.