2016 Visitation to Lake Meredith Surpasses 1 Million

Date: January 17, 2017
Contact: Carl Brenner, 806-857-3151

Visitation to Lake Meredith National Recreation Area (LAMR) surpasses 1 million visitors in 2016. This is an increase of 23.4% compared to the previous year. “Every time the lake goes up, visitation goes up,” said LAMR Superintendent Robert Maguire. “With increased recreational opportunities [additional trails and boat docks], Ranger programing, and a sustained rise in lake levels, we foresee a continued growth in visitation,” continued Maguire. 
 
Most of the park’s twelve entrances showed an increase in visitor counts for the year, compared to 2015. Spring Canyon recorded the largest increase in 2016, with 42,403 more visits than 2015. Additionally tent and RV stays are up 28.2% and 26.2% respectively.
 
While many factors could be at play, park managers point to the National Park Service’s Centennial year, the tremendous turnout to the first fireworks show in 15 years, and lower gas prices as influences in the record number of visits to Lake Meredith in seven years.  
 

Recreational Visits by Month
Month	Rec. Visits 2016	Rec. Visits 2015	Change	Month	Rec. Visits 2016	Rec. Visits 2015	Change
January	35,458	23,941	48.11%	July	197,301	141,564	39.37%
February	78,138	53,206	46.86%	August	108,686	97,121	11.91%
March	77,609	69,202	12.15%	September	55,144	87,878	-37.25%
April	65,146	45,009	44.74%	October	52,793	38,858	35.86%
May	115,288	54,632	111.03%	November	51,774	41,738	24.05%
June	140,151	138,399	1.27%	December	48,125	39,826	20.84%
				Total 2016	1,025,613	831,374	23.36%

 
Detailed park visitation information and additional information on how these statistics are calculated is available online at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/Park  
 
 
www.nps.gov/lamr
 
Within the dry and windswept high plains of the Texas Panhandle lies a hidden oasis, a welcoming haven where wildlife and humans find respite from the dry grasslands above. Through this plain, the Canadian River has cut dramatic 200-foot canyons, or breaks, where humans have eked out a living for over 13,000 years. Lake Meredith now occupies these hidden coves where early humans once roamed. Visit us at https://www.nps.gov/lamr, on Facebook www.facebook.com/lakemeredith. Instagram www.instagram.com/LakeMeredithNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/LakeMeredithNPS.
 
www.nps.gov
 
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.