Montana State Parks continues to see increase in visitors

HELENA, Mont. — Montana State Parks drew an estimated 3.38 million visitors in 2025, continuing a steady rise in use across the state, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) said in a release.

That total was up 4.9 percent from 2024, up 11.5 percent from 2022 and up 27.3 percent from 2015. Since 2015, visitation has increased by more than 725,000 visits, according to FWP.

The busiest parks in 2025 were Giant Springs with 645,978 visitors, Flathead Lake with 362,136, Cooney Reservoir with 194,447, Lake Elmo with 181,462 and Lone Pine with 170,467.

Region 4 in north-central Montana posted one of the biggest shifts. Officials said it had 967,946 visitors in 2025, a 21.8 percent increase from 2024.

Region 1 in northwest Montana remained the largest share of the system with 984,685 visitors, or just less than 30 percent of total visits. Region 2 in western Montana moved the other direction, dropping 9.6 percent to 421,227 visitors.

Reservation data showed most bookings came from people in Montana, Washington and Idaho. California, Colorado, Oregon, Texas and Florida also ranked among the top states.

The state said Region 6 in north-western Montana, made up only of Brush Lake State Park since a 2022 administrative split from Region 7, had 31,044 visitors in 2025. That was down 30.9 percent from 2024.