State park attendance tops 715K

WATKINS GLEN--With 715,206 visitors in last year, Watkins Glen State Park Manager Ron Roney said 2014 was the best attendance year the park has had. The park saw a 13 percent increase in visitors from 2013, which drew 632,140 to the park located along Franklin Street in Watkins Glen.

"I would say this is the best year for here historically," Roney said.
Roney attributes the increase to the fact the park is located along such a busy road in the village, with the park's online presence also attracting more visitors. He said their online presence allows them to reach people from outside the U.S., adding they have many foreign visitors to the park from outside the country. Roney said the tour bus traffic was also "extremely healthy this year," which contributed a large piece of the visitors they had in 2014. He said the park is due to add one or two more bus tours in 2015.
"I think again we are very weather related," Roney said. "Even though there were some days that were not swimming weather, I think it increases hikers in the gorge. It was a middle of the road swimming year, but it pushed more folks out to see the gorge."
Roney said the camping numbers are steady, as most campers make reservations early and tend to keep them once they are all planned out. He said the park has "a multitude of things to offer" even when the weather is bad, adding "there is never really a bad day to come." Roney said the park's planned entrance enhancements are planned to begin late 2015 or early 2016.
New York parks and historic sites across the state had a 3 percent increase in visitors last year compared to 2013, and the number of overnight stays at state campgrounds hit a new record.
New York had 62 million visitors to its 180 state parks and 35 historic sites in 2014, an 8 percent increase since 2011.
"New York's parks and outdoor spaces are among the best in the nation, and these latest numbers are proof that more and more people are taking notice," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.
The attendance in 2014 was up 1.9 million visitors after a soggy summer in 2013 led to a decline in attendance. Campgrounds also saw a boost last year, state figures show. Overnight stays at campgrounds operated by state park department was the highest on record -- reaching 594,441 nights in 2014, up 2 percent from 2013.