Montana's state parks recorded more than 1.57 million visitors in the first half of 2021, an 11% increase over the same period last year and a 44% increase over the same period in 2019, the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks says in a new report.

"Last year was a record-setting one for the Montana state park system in spite of some initial shutdowns and temporary closures promulgated by Covid-19," the report states. "Notably, this year has been even busier for many parks as travel and tourism across the state have grown and the public continues to turn to the outdoors. A similar trend is being experienced across many public lands, including those managed by FWP, such as fishing access sites, according to staff anecdotes."

Twenty-seven of the 45 state parks that were open from the start of January through the end of June reported increases in visitation over the same period in 2020. And more than half of all visitation occurred in just two of FWP's administrative regions — Region 1, headquartered in Kalispell, and Region 4, headquartered in Great Falls.

Region 4 includes Giant Springs and Spring Meadow Lake state parks, which were the first and second most-visited parks during the first half of the year, respectively.

"Flathead Lake was the third most-visited park in the state during the first half of the year; Lone Pine was seventh; and Thompson Chain of Lakes was eighth," the report states. "Of the state park administrative regions, Region 1 experienced the second-highest level of visitation through the second quarter of this year. Whitefish Lake and Logan have both seen significant spikes in growth — both offer access to water recreation and camping opportunities."

The report notes last year's closure of Glacier National Park likely contributed to booming visitation at nearby state parks.

"This pushed many visitors to the region's state park campgrounds as well as to other public lands. While these conditions have subsided, visitors are still learning to navigate Glacier's ticketed entry system, and so there is still some continued spillover. (Glacier is experiencing its second busiest year on record.)"

The Big Arm and Yellow Bay units of Flathead Lake State Park experienced the most growth compared with last year.

One caveat, according to the report: Some growth may be attributed to the installation of new trail counting devices at Lone Pine as well as the Wayfarers and West Shore units of Flathead Lake State Park.

Assistant editor Chad Sokol may be reached at 406-758-4439 or csokol@dailyinterlake.com.