Utah's Public Lands Attract Millions of Visitors

People spend about 22.7 million visitor days a year enjoying federal land in Utah, according to numbers included in this Salt Lake Tribune article. State parks draw another 4.6 million visits. Combined, they produced about $6.2 billion in revenue for the state in 2009.

Writer Tom Wharton breaks down the numbers to show where people are spending their time, and he includes quotes from people from around the world explaining why they are drawn to Utah. Here are some highlights.

Utah Ski resorts recorded almost 4 million skier days in the 2008-2009 season.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are 877,000 people who watch wildlife in the state compared to 375,000 anglers and 166,000 hunters.

Golf courses attract an estimated 248,000 golfers in Utah.

National Parks - 2008 Stats
Total Visitation » 8,070,834
Zion National Park » 2,690,154
Bryce Canyon National Park » 1,043,321
Arches National Park » 928,795
Capitol Reef National Park » 604,811
Canyonlands National Park » 436,715
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area » 1,947,507

Utah State Parks - 2008 Stats
Total visitation » 4,564,770
Top Ten Visited Parks:
Wasatch Mountain » 312,173
Snow Canyon » 299,233
Jordanelle » 296,781
Palisade » 290,682
Utah Lake » 284,740
Deer Creek » 260,299
Antelope Island » 256,901
Great Salt Lake Marina » 214,127
Bear Lake » 198,141
Dead Horse Point » 184,560

Bureau of Land Management - 2009 Stats
Total visitation » 6,510,648
Areas of Note:
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument » 731,440
Little Sahara Recreation Area » 210,148
Sand Flats/Slickrock Bike Trail » 35,496

Read the complete article.