Which state park did LIers love the most in 2019?

Proving their love for the outdoors, a record number of visitors last year swam, sailed, strolled or otherwise enjoyed 31 Long Island state parks, with officials saying increases ran from 64% at Walt Whitman's birthplace to 16% at the much vaster Robert Moses.

Jones Beach topped all Long Island state parks with nearly 8.2 million sun-and-fun seekers.

The overall total of 26.8 million visitors, 5% above the results for 2018, may have been driven by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's multiyear plan to make up for chronic underfunding by investing $1 billion in public and private funds.

"Tourism is booming in New York and these beautiful sites are drawing visitors to all corners of the state, offering affordable opportunities for outdoor recreation and to experience our natural treasures while providing an economic boost to local communities," Cuomo said in a statement this month.

For the entire state, 77.1 million people went to state parks, a 4% rise over 2018, Cuomo said, adding attendance has climbed 33% since he took office in 2011. 

Most visited on LI: Jones Beach, nearly 8.2 million
Jones Beach, with its more than 6 miles of beaches, its boardwalk and iconic water tower, celebrated its 90th anniversary last year. It has reopened the Boardwalk Cafe and restored or upgraded the West Bathhouse and its pool, water tower, concessions and bathrooms. By this summer, its West Games area will have been modernized, including miniature golf and shuffleboard.

Visits to Jones Beach fell about 4% last year from 2018, according to state statistics — but it still had almost double the number of visitors of the second-most-visited state park on LI, Robert Moses.

Largest increase, percentagewise, in visitors: 64%: Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site
Visits likely soared at the Huntington Station site — it registered the biggest percentage increase of any state park — because last year was the poet's 200th birth anniversary.

Last summer, a new historical marker was installed, making it easier to find the relatively small site that lies between often-busy roads.

And before Whitman's May 31 birthday, the state and nonprofits renovated exhibits and photographs, expanded the stage and added a television.

There were more than 7,000 visits to the site last year, compared with  4,300 in 2018.

2nd most visited on LI: Robert Moses State Park, nearly 4.3 million
Last year saw a 16% increase in visitors at Robert Moses.

The beachfront park, which has a shoreline of nearly 5 miles, has undergone ambitious upgrades recently, including an extensive overhaul of its heating and water systems. It also added an overnight marina, renovated bathrooms, and upgraded the concession area.

North Shore crowd-pleaser: Sunken Meadow State Park, 3.6 million visits 
Attendance at the Kings Park site on Long Island Sound was up about 13% to 3.6 million last year, compared with 2018.

That makes it the third most visited state park on Long Island.

The park, which includes a 3/4-mile-long boardwalk on the Sound, is also the northern terminus of the Long Island Greenbelt trail. 

The list of its recent upgrades ranged from the Main Bathhouse to an improved golf course and playgrounds.

The 'People's Country Club:' Bethpage State Park, up 18% in visitors

Bethpage State Park, where novices can, if they wish, play the same grueling Black Course as the pros, also underwent major upgrades, from new systems for the clubhouse to renovated fairways, tees and bunkers and new drainage systems.