State Park News February 2024
Here are the top state park news stories for February 2024. We are working to provide you with a summary of the most interesting state park news stories each month. If you have a state park news story we missed, let us know by leaving a comment.
Year of Ohio State Parks
On the 75th anniversary of Ohio State Parks, Governor Mike DeWine has declared 2024 to be the year of Ohio state parks.
The Ohio DNR was founded in 1949 with 16 parks. Many of the parks were already established including Buckeye Lake, the oldest Ohio state park, created in the 1820’s.
In 2024, Ohio will add another state park bringing the total up to 76. The newest park will be Great Council State Park. While relatively small, the park will feature an interpretive center and other features to tell the history of the region’s native peoples including the Shawnee. A native prairie hiking loop will be added to the 14 acre park.
Great Council State Park is located in Xenia, OH just east of Dayton.
If you want to read more about the history of Ohio State Parks, check out the great article on their website.
NC Parks Record Visitors
NC state Parks had over 20 million visitors in 2023, an increase of 4% from 2022. Many of the parks saw increased visitation – some has much as doubling visitors from the prior year. While Jordan Lake was the most visited location, Mayo River and Morrow Mountain State Parks had the largest growth in visitors.
As we have reported in past state park news stories, the NC parks continue to invest in improvements and there are several significant additions coming to the park system.
If you want to see a sample of what NC State Parks are like, consider checking out our YouTube videos on Raven Rock State Park or Falls Lake State Recreation Area.
Cherry Creek State Park Road Reopens
On Friday, January 26, the road connecting two sides of Cherry Creek State Park has reopened. Heavy rain in May 2023 caused the road to wash out.
Road reconstruction began in November and is now complete. Park officials conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the road reopening. Details of the Cherry Creek road reconstruction project can be found on the Colorado State Park website.
Cherry Creek State Park is located in Aurora, CO, southeast of Denver.
Virginia State Park Adventure Series
The Adventure Series will be back for its seventh year in the Virginia State Parks. This is a series of races held in parks throughout the state of Virginia including 15k runs, triathlons, ultra marathons, and bike races.
You can choose to participate in the Competition Category, earning points for your finishes. Or, try the Achievement Category where you earn points for each race you complete.
The series begins with a Monster Cross 50 mile cyclocross race at Pocahontas State Park. Races are held throughout the year, finishing with the Fall Foliage Adventure Race at Mason Neck State Park. You can find more information on the Adventure Series on the Virginia Parks website.
If you want to learn more about Pocahontas State Park, consider checking out our Pocahontas YouTube video.
February State Park Fun Events
Every month, we try to highlight some fun events happening in a state park. This month, we have two to share.
Cold Weather Shelter
Georgia State Parks is hosting a class on how to build a cold weather shelter. Wednesday February 7 from 3-4 at Red Top Mountain State Park – about 45 minutes north of Atlanta. Admission and parking are $5 each.
Winter Fun Day
Winter Fun Day at Bradbury Mountain State Park will be held February 10 from 10-3. Later in the day, there will be a star gazing event starting at 6. This sounds like a fun day. You can try a snowshoe hike and free snowshoe rentals are available. Or, if you bring your own sled, you can try out their sledding hill. After the fun, have some hot cocoa by a warm fire.
Bradbury Mountain State Park is located about halfway between Portland and Augusta Maine.
State Park News on YouTube
We share state park news on our YouTube channel. Check out our February 2024 state park news video.
We started sharing our State Park News posts & videos at the start of 2023. We have been enjoying learning about state parks all across the US and sharing what we learned with you. Hopefully you are finding it interesting and helpful. Let us know what you think. We’d sure appreciate the feedback. And If you have a state park news story to share, we’d love to hear it. Leave a comment to let us know.
We love state parks. We shared six reasons why we love state parks in our recent post and video. If you love state parks, too, let us know your favorite.
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