Virginia State Parks sees more campers flood the campgrounds as normalcy returns and people crave to get outdoors.
In 2021, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation estimated nearly 1.17 million campers at a state park, marking a 17% increase over 2020 and a 25% increase from 2019.
Pocahontas State Park already saw an influx of campers, according to a report.
“As soon as the weather starts getting nicer, we definitely see an uptick in attendance and visitation,” Park Manager Nate Clark said. “We’ve had some busy weekends in April already.”
This year, the number could keep rising as more people venture outdoors amid the pandemic, a report said.
“We’ve seen a lot more folks in the last couple years, a lot of new families, a lot new kids coming out and enjoying the parks and taking advantage of the opportunities that we have to offer,” Clark said.
Unfortunately, due to the increasing demand, many campsites on weekends have been reserved for the summer season, according to the Virginia State Parks booking website.
“Regardless of the year, the weekends are going to be the busy times, especially on the holidays,” Clark said. “But if you’re flexible and you can travel during the week, you probably shouldn’t have any problem finding a campground in the system somewhere across the state.”
Other options for overnight have been provided to help campers save money on tents and other camping gear.
“We have camp cabins, and group cabins, and bunkhouses, yurts, so there’s a lot of different options for overnight stays,” Clark said.
“Yurts” are similar to huts or teepees and are one of the less popular options and still up for grabs on some weekends.
To book your spot at the campground or learn more about activities this summer, click here.
This article originally appeared on WHSV.