Wisconsin's National Park Sites See More Visitors and Spending in 2022

Thursday, September 28th, 2023 -- 9:01 AM

(By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) Nearly 672,000 people visited national park sites in Wisconsin last year, spending roughly $66 million and supporting around 1,000 jobs.

According to Danielle Kaeding with Wisconsin Public Radio, the National Park Service within the U.S. Department of Interior released those findings as part of its annual report on the economic effects of visitor spending.

National parks drew 5 percent more visitors last year than 2021 with around 312 million people. Visitor spending also increased by 16 percent to $23.9 billion nationwide. Wisconsin received roughly 2 percent more visitors or nearly 15,000 more people than 2021, but visitor spending declined by almost $3 million.

Even so, spending remains above levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway accounted for most of the uptick in visitors with around 101,000 more people taking in the site last year.

Craig Hansen, superintendent of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, said around 834,000 people visited the riverway, which runs through Wisconsin and Minnesota. They spent roughly $41 million, contributing $59 million to the regional economy.

He said the park draws people to camp, kayak, hike and experience solitude. The report splits the number of visitors equally between the two states. The National Park Service manages the vast majority of the riverway, which comprises more than 250 miles of the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers.

It was one of eight sites originally established in 1968 under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The study used data from visitor surveys, visits to parks, and regional economic multipliers to estimate the effects of visitor spending.

Hansen said that included visitor counts at certain landings along the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

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