More people made their way to the region’s most popular state parks last year — a lot more in some cases, like the 19% increase at Smith Mountain Lake. Almost 990,000 people visited SML State Park last year, making it the fourth most popular state park in Virginia Attendance was also up at Claytor Lake — and at New River Trail, now Virginia’s second-most visited state park.
This comes at a time of less state funding for state parks. WFIR’s Evan Jones reports on how they’re coping with the cuts.
[audio:http://wfirnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/01-24-State-Parks-Wrap1-WEB.mp3|titles=01-24 State Parks Wrap1-WEB]
Click here to see 2011 attendance figures for all Virginia state parks.
