Visitation to Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (LAMR) surpasses 1 million visitors in 2016. This is an increase of 23.4% compared to the previous year. “Every time the lake goes up, visitation goes up," said LAMR Superintendent Robert Maguire. “With increased recreational opportunities [additional trails and boat docks], Ranger programing, and a sustained rise in lake levels, we foresee a continued growth in visitation," continued Maguire.
Most of the park’s twelve entrances showed an increase in visitor counts for the year, compared to 2015. Spring Canyon recorded the largest increase in 2016, with 42,403 more visits than 2015. Additionally tent and RV stays are up 28.2% and 26.2% respectively.
While many factors could be at play, park managers point to the National Park Service’s Centennial year, the tremendous turnout to the first fireworks show in 15 years, and lower gas prices as influences in the record number of visits to Lake Meredith in seven years.
Recreational Visits by Month
Month Rec. Visits 2016 Rec. Visits 2015 Change Month Rec. Visits 2016 Rec. Visits 2015 Change
Jan. 35,458 23,941 48.11% July 197,301 141,564 39.37%
February 78,138 53,206 46.86% August 108,686 97,121 11.91%
March 77,609 69,202 12.15% September 55,144 87,878 -37.25%
April 65,146 45,009 44.74% October 52,793 38,858 35.86%
May 115,288 54,632 111.03% November 51,774 41,738 24.05%
June 140,151 138,399 1.27% December 48,125 39,826 20.84%
Total 2016 1,025,613 831,374 23.36%
Detailed park visitation information and additional information on how these statistics are calculated is available online at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/Park
www.nps.gov/lamr
Within the dry and windswept high plains of the Texas Panhandle lies a hidden oasis, a welcoming haven where wildlife and humans find respite from the dry grasslands above. Through this plain, the Canadian River has cut dramatic 200-foot canyons, or breaks, where humans have eked out a living for over 13,000 years. Lake Meredith now occupies these hidden coves where early humans once roamed. Visit us at https://www.nps.gov/lamr, on Facebook www.facebook.com/lakemeredith. Instagram www.instagram.com/LakeMeredithNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/LakeMeredithNPS.
www.nps.gov
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Tags: lake meredith visitation recreation
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
