News Release

Padre Island National Seashore welcomed 617,704 visitors in 2020

Date: March 19, 2021

Padre Island National Seashore welcomed 617,704 visitors in 2020, a higher number than the previous two years. In the month of May, visitation rose from 54,426 in 2019 to 97,368 in 2020. With over 60 miles of beach, the park provided a safe space for visitors to recreate responsibly, get some fresh air, and stay active.

“At a time when access to nature became neccesary for families to safely recreate, Padre Island National Seashore was able to provide a critical service to the local community and South Texas,” said park superintendent Eric Brunnemann.

Across the country, outdoor experiences provided refuge from the pandemic for 237 million visitors to America’s national parks in 2020.

“This past year has reminded us how important national parks and public lands are to overall wellbeing,” said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge. “Throughout the country, national parks provided close-to-home opportunities for people to spend much needed time outdoors for their physical and psychological health.”

The coronavirus pandemic has affected nearly every National Park Service operation, and parks continue to work with public health officials to navigate changing conditions. A maximum 66 of the 423 parks of the National Park System were fully closed for two months or more. Padre Island National Seashore also implemented closures in 2020 due to Hurricane Hanna and the subsequent damage. The majority of parks – particularly those with outdoor spaces – remained accessible to the public. Just a handful of historic and cultural parks, primarily historic homes with limited indoor space, remain closed.

To protect the health of those who live, work and visit America’s national parks, face masks are required in all NPS buildings and facilities. Masks are also required on federally managed lands when physical distancing cannot be maintained, including narrow or busy trails, overlooks, and parking lots. Additional public health measures remain in effect, and visitors should check with individual parks for details on operations before visiting.

For an in-depth look at 2020 visitation statistics, please visit the National Park Service Social Science website. For national summaries and individual park figures, please visit the National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics website.