Despite federal spending cuts that National Park Service employees say are straining operations and staffing, visitation numbers for 2024 released Wednesday show that demand for the agency’s parks has increased.
Last year, a record-breaking 332 million people visited national parks in the United States, surpassing the previous record of 331 million set in 2016. It also exceeds last year’s attendance by more than 6 million people.
The National Park Service administers four outdoor recreation sites in West Virginia: the Bluestone National Scenic River, the Gauley River National Recreation Area, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, and the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve.
Between 2023 and 2024, these four parks experienced a net increase of 236,856 recreational visits. While Bluestone’s attendance fell during this time, the Gauley, Harpers Ferry, and New River Gorge sites all had their highest visitor counts in park history last year.
According to data from 2024, the four National Park Service sites received more than 2.58 million recreational visits last year.
The increase in visitation and demand occurred shortly before President Donald Trump took office in January. In the early days of his presidency, Trump made reducing federal spending an administrative priority, and the National Park Service laid off approximately 1,000 employees in February as a result.
However, opposition to federal spending cuts from some West Virginia residents has sparked displays of activism throughout the state.
Over 100 people gathered in Harpers Ferry on Saturday to protest layoffs and funding cuts. Harpers Ferry received more than 488,000 visitors last year, making it the state’s second-most popular National Park Service site after New River Gorge, which received over 1.8 million visitors in 2024.
On Tuesday, hundreds gathered outside Morgantown’s Monongalia County Courthouse to protest federal workforce and budget cuts.
Last month, over 150 people in Parkersburg protested a reported visit from representatives of the Department of Government Efficiency, a new agency tasked by the Trump administration with advising on federal spending cuts.
According to its website, the National Parks Conservation Association is a nonprofit organization that works independently of the park service to preserve national park sites through lobbying and litigation.
Following the release of 2024 visitation data on Wednesday, Kristen Brengel, the association’s senior vice president of government affairs, called funding cuts a “slap in the face” in light of increased demand for national parks across the country.
“As peak travel season arrives, park visitors will have to contend with closed visitor centers and campgrounds, canceled ranger programs and less search and rescue staff,” she stated in a news release issued on Wednesday.
“Our national parks are beloved and storied places,” Brengel went on. “This threatens to put that beating heart on life support.”
