Visits to NY parks fall on Long Island, set record statewide, data shows

Long Island state parks saw fewer visitors in 2021 compared with 2020, but statewide, attendance broke a record set in the first year of the pandemic, according to the latest data.

More than 29 million visitors spent time at Long Island state parks last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday in a statement. It was a dip of nearly 2.5 million from 2020.

Across New York State, a record 78.4 million visitors traveled to state campgrounds, trails and historic sites in 2021, Hochul said. In 2020, state parks drew a record 78 million visitors — almost one million more than in 2019 — though the state limited parking lots to half capacity to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

State data released Tuesday revealed that Long Island state parks, including two summer stalwarts — Jones Beach and Robert Moses — in 2021 belied the statewide trend.

Jones Beach State Park saw 8 million visitors in 2021, compared with 8.3 million in 2020. Robert Moses State Park notched 4 million visitors in 2021, down from 5.9 million in 2020, according to state statistics.

In 2021, 29.6 million visitors traveled to state parks on Long Island, compared with 32 million in 2020, statistics show.

Brian Nearing, a state parks spokesman, said state parks on Long Island experienced "a dramatic surge in visitation in 2020" as other venues were restricted.

"In 2021, as vaccines became available and COVID protocols were adjusted, people had more recreational options available to them," Nearing said.

Fewer restrictions bring drop in visitors

Lifting some of the pandemic-related restrictions was a major contributor to the attendance drop at area state parks, said George Gorman, Long Island regional director, of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

"It’s not surprising that when [COVID-19] restrictions were lifted, that attendance was also reduced dramatically," Gorman said, "because it had a dramatic increase in 2020."

A rash of shark sightings off Long Island state beaches didn't "seem to measurably impact attendance," he said.

Brentwood State Park saw the Island’s largest spike in visits last year — 1.4 million, up from 750,886 in 2020.

States parks in other regions of New York had mixed attendance levels.

In New York City, attendance at state parks dropped to 4.3 million in 2021 from nearly 6 million in 2020, statistics show. In Genesee County, attendance dropped to 1.6 million from 1.7 million in 2020.

In the Capital Region/Saratoga County, attendance increased to 5.6 million in 2021 from 5.1 million in 2020, statistics show.

Statewide, Hochul said, fewer restrictions meant an attendance increase at the park system's major tourism destinations. More than 9 million visitors went to Niagara Falls State Park in 2021, Hochul said, compared with 5.97 million in 2020.

Bigger park system budget

In January, the governor proposed a $216.3 billion budget for 2022-23 that would allot $200 million — $90 million more than in the current state budget — to improve state parks.

"During the pandemic, parks and public spaces have become more important than ever providing New Yorkers with safe and enjoyable outdoor spaces for gatherings and recreation, Hochul said. "New York was proud to welcome a record-setting number of visitors to our state parks last year, and we look forward to modernizing our parks system as we approach its historic 100th anniversary in 2024."

Joy Cirigliano is president of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, which the group’s website says has a mission to protect and preserve birds, wildlife and "the places and resources needed for today and tomorrow."

In 2020, when Cirigliano visited Heckscher State Park or Planting Fields Arboretum "they were really busy."

"But this past year, it wasn’t nearly as crowded," she said. "So basically people I’m assuming went back to work. I’m sad for the fact that people don’t have the time to go and do outdoor activities now because they have to go back to work."