The state spent nearly $70 million installing breakwaters at Illinois Beach State Park near Zion protecting the park’s beaches. | Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Adams
By Ben Szalinski | Capitol News Illinois
Illinois state parks saw more visitors in 2024 than any point in the past 15 years, according to new data from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Illinois’ 290 state parks and 56 historic sites recorded more than 41 million visitors last year, which was the most in 15 years, following several significant capital projects to upgrade and improve many of the parks.
Interest in state parks has been growing since the pandemic, IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie said in an interview.
“During COVID, people were stir crazy, shut in, and they once again realized how important nature is to all of us,” Phelps Finnie said.
An aggressive advertising campaign by the state has also helped, she said. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity launched the state’s “Middle of Everything” marketing campaign in 2022, which promotes tourism at the state’s top recreation and cultural attractions in TV commercials, billboards and online advertising.
Starved Rock State Park in LaSalle County topped the list in 2024 with 2.4 million visitors coming to explore the canyons and waterfalls nestled in gorges along the Illinois River in north-central Illinois.
The second-most visited park last year was Illinois Beach State Park, near Zion, with 2 million visitors. IDNR completed a major $73 million project last year to preserve the park from erosion.
“It’s always been a high number of visitors, but certainly the uptick we’ve seen since the beach was restored and since the resort is being invested in once again and remodeled,” Phelps Finnie said.
Two people fish on a beach at Illinois Beach State Park near one of 22 breakwaters which protect the shoreline from erosion. | Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Adams
Beach State Park holds Illinois’ only undeveloped stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline, but it’s subject to the ferocious waves of the lake. The conditions have sometimes eroded up to 100 feet of shoreline a year in parts of the park.
More here.
Related: “After Nearly Vanishing, the Beach Is Back at Illinois Beach State Park. That’s Big News for Local Ecosystems and Economies,” “Illinois Beach Hotel reopens to guests following renovations to only hotel in state located on Lake Michigan”
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