COLORADO SPRINGS — Despite some closures due to the pandemic and price increases, Colorado state parks recorded a nearly 23% increase in visitors in 2020, with some data from November and December still yet to be logged.
The 18.3 million visitors state parks have reported so far were up from the 14.8 million total in 2019, The Gazette reported Friday.
The record figure is about 53% higher than the agency’s 2013-14 fiscal year, when 11.9 million visitors were counted at the 41 state parks.
At Castlewood Canyon, there were a total of 263,744 visitors through November, up more than 56% from a then-record 2017.
Lake Pueblo recorded the most visitors with a record 2.7 million people registered from January through October.
The state’s other most popular parks were Chatfield, which logged 2.1 million visitors through October, and Cherry Creek State Park, which is expected to log over 2 million visitors for the first time in its history.