State Parks Had Unprecedented Visitation in 2020

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that New York State's state parks, historic sites, and trails saw a record-setting amount of visits in 2020.

Site in New York State welcomed a whopping 78 million visits in 2020. The milestone marks nine years of steady visitor growth and represents an overall increase of 34 percent or more than 20 million visitors since 2011.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said:

In 2020, our State parks became an even more critical resource than before as New Yorkers sought safe places for solace, exercise, and relief from the pandemic.New York remains fully committed to the continued modernization of our parks system, and with the recent completion of the 750-mile Empire State Trail, we are ensuring New Yorkers and visitors alike, have unparalleled recreational opportunities, especially during these unprecedented times

New York State saw growth from 77.1 million visits in 2019 to 78 million for 2020. There was a big spike in visits in the Spring and Fall, as New Yorkers turned to nearby parks, trails, and historic sites to escape the pandemic. Visitation during the Summer, which typically is the busiest time of the year, was much lower this year due to many things being closed.

Erik Kulleseid, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation said:

Governor Cuomo deserves great credit for ensuring safe and healthy outdoor recreation remained available to New Yorkers during 2020. As other park systems were closing at the start of the pandemic, Governor Cuomo focused on taking the necessary precautions to open them safely. Our state parks and open spaces proved to be true sanctuaries for people to escape inactivity and isolation during this difficult year

I definitely took advantage of the trails during the pandemic. There are so many beautiful sites to visit in New York, take advantage of them!