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NC state park system reports record 22.8M visitors in 2021

By The Associated Press

Appalachian Trail Appalachian Trail sign marking the distance to Clingmans Dome. At over 6,000 ft. Clingmans Dome is the highest point on the AT. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Tennessee. (ehrlif/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

By The Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s state parks system saw a record number of visitors last year.

According to data provided Monday by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources said 22.8 million visitors entered the system’s 41 parks, recreation areas and natural areas, WRAL-TV reported.

That’s a 15% increase from the 19.8 million visitors to parks in 2020, when visits surged as more people sought outdoor activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Jockey’s Ridge State Park was 2021′s most visited park with more than 1.8 million guests, about 100,000 fewer than in 2020. The second most frequented park, Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, saw the largest growth, up 84% from the nearly 877,000 visitors in 2020.

Falls Lake State Recreation Area came in third and saw 46% growth last year. Nearly 1.5 million people traveled to the Wake Forest location, up from the 1 million visitors in 2020.

The 2021 numbers reflect even greater interest among the public to visit even after Covid-19 vaccines had become widely available.

(WATCH BELOW: Veterans, Gold Star Families given free lifetime access to national parks)

Veterans, Gold Star Families given free lifetime access to national parks (NCD)

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