In 2023, for the 11th year in a row, New York State Parks set a system-wide attendance record with over 84.1 million visits. This was a 6% increase from the previous year.
The 4.7 million jump in visits last year was the highest annual increase on record. Over the last two decades, state park attendance has climbed steadily, increasing nearly 60 percent.
As New Yorkers continue to visit state parks in record numbers, they can look forward to more park improvements through a proposed $300 million in capital investment included in the 2025 Executive Budget.
New York State Parks also kicked off the celebration of its 100th anniversary of the creation of the park system in 1924, including a Centennial Challenge, which encourages visitors to complete 24 activities from a list of 100 to win a prize.
Special events are being held in parks across the state through 2024, and there also is a special Centennial line of merchandise.
Photo: Walkers on the Empire Trail in Plattsburgh, NY, Clinton County (courtesy State Parks).
