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Record number of visitors to NYS Parks in 2017

The most visited state park is the Niagara Falls State Park, with about 9.4 million visitors last year
Credit: WGRZ
Niagara Falls

ALBANY -- New York state parks had a record 71.6 million visitors in 2017, continuing an upward trend in attendance.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that visitors to state parks have increased by 23 percent since he took office in 2011.

"We have modernized the oldest state park system in the nation by making strategic investments that help entice more and more visitors to this great state," Cuomo said in a statement.

Database: Check attendance at each New York state park

The new record was a 1.4 percent increase from 2016, and over the last seven years, park attendance has grown by nearly 14 million people, state officials said.

Some parks saw significant growth between 2016 and last year, state records showed.

Buttermilk Falls in the Finger Lakes, for example, had a 19 percent increase in visitors last year compared to 2016 -- to nearly 300,000 visits.

Letchworth State Park had over 834,000 visitors last year, an increase of 7 percent from 2016.

New York has the oldest parks system in the nation and includes 180 parks, 35 historic sites, 67 beaches and 29 golf courses.

Attendance has increased since 2011, with the exception of 2013 when some parks were undergoing repairs after Superstorm Sandy.

The most visited state park is the Niagara Falls State Park, with about 9.4 million visitors last year and essentially flat from the year before.

The state has increased investment in the parks as part of its Parks 2020 program, which is $1 billion effort to repair and expand the system.

This year, the state expects to complete a $70 million upgrade to the Niagara Falls State Park and debut a new entrance at the Watkins Glen State Park.

There are several other attractions set to open, including the Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn; a Boardwalk Café at Jones Beach; and a new gateway at the Walkway Over the Hudson.

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