Regional park and trail visits jump 7.4%
Nearly 40.9 million visits were made to metro area regional parks and trails in 2010, an increase of 7.4% from 2009.
Trails are a major attraction in the regional parks system.
The popularity of new facilities as well as a jump in visits to well-established parks in the core of the region contributed to the increase, according to Jan Youngquist, Metropolitan Council planning analyst.
Newer parks and trails that saw an increase in visitation from 2009 include Silverwood Park in St. Anthony; Big Marine Park Reserve in northern Washington County; Dakota Rail Regional Trail in Three Rivers Park District; and Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park in Scott County.
About 40% of all visits to the regional system were to regional trails or to major trails within regional parks, such as Minneapolis Chain of Lakes.
Estimated annual visits have increased 23% since 2004. A total of 89 park and trail units were sampled in 2010 compared with 73 units in 2004.
The five most-visited regional parks, trails and special recreation features in 2010 were:
- Minneapolis Chain of Lakes Regional Park: 5.1 million
- Como Regional Park, Zoo and Conservatory Special Recreation Feature: 3.6 million
- Mississippi Gorge Regional Park (Minneapolis & St. Paul): 2.2 million
- Minnehaha Parkway Regional Trail: 1.6 million
- Nokomis‐Hiawatha Regional Park: 1.4 million
Regional parks and trails in Minneapolis and St. Paul receive an estimated 55% of all visits to the regional park system, down from 65.7% in 2000. The shift reflects both the population growth outside the urban core but also the addition of park and trail facilities outside the two cities.
Top 10 Regional Park Activities
The most popular activities in the regional parks system are walking/hiking, biking and swimming.
The regional parks system truly serves a regional audience, as reflected by the fact that 45% of visits to regional parks and trails are by people who do not live within the jurisdiction of the park agency that owns and operates a particular park or trail.
The annual use estimate is based on the average of four years (2007 – 2010) of summer counts of bikers, pedestrians, horse riders, boats, vehicles and charter buses that enter parks and trails through recognized entrances. The four‐year approach reduces the effect of extreme weather, temporary facility closures or other anomalies on each park’s estimated visitation.