Information released by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) shows that state parks had more people visit in 2024 than at any time over the past 15 years.
The state's 290 parks, including Red Hill State Park in Lawrence County and its 56 historic sites had more than 41 million tourists enter their grounds, according to the IDNR statistics.
Reasons given for the increase include several capital projects to upgrade and improve many of the parks and their facilities and the desire for people to spend more time outdoors.
It is anticipated that additional state funding will be made available for park and recreation use in the future.
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