June Visitor Numbers - Devil's Lake State Park Area Visitor's Guide

Approximately 395,000 visitors came to Devil’s Lake State Park in June of this year. 394,956 was the software estimate based on the number of cars that passed through the park’s 3 main entrances on the north and south shore. (South Shore counts taken at both the east and west ends of south shore road.)

Good Estimates Needed

It’s great to see that the DNR has finally installed counters at the park because without “real” numbers it’s very hard to talk about and invest in master plans, new buildings, and such. What we as the general public need to know is that the numbers we see are estimates. The counters see the number of cars coming across their line of view, then the TRAFx software uses a scientific formula to estimate how many actual visitors those cars represent. Of course, some cars drive through the park and don’t stay, while some outlying parking lots don’t have counters, etc. But we do all have to have numbers we can agree on and these 3 counters cover the majority of park visitors.

Trail Counters?

Along with traffic counters, Devil’s Lake State Park also has people counters installed on both the East and West Bluff Trails. It was reported that 19,088 hikers explored the west bluff trail along in June of this year. That’s a lot of feet! Let’s hope this results in some much-needed maintenance on these very popular trails!

Parfrey’s Glen?

Yep, we also sought out visitor numbers for our loved, but overused natural areas, Parfrey’s Glen & Pewit’s Nest. I’m told there isn’t a counter at Pewits, but for June at Parfrey’s Glen, some 6,230 people passed the counter at the trailhead. (Minus the short kids and pets!)

A final thought

Again, it’s fantastic that the park has counters now. There have been a lot of good changes at Devil’s Lake State Park in the last few years and with some fresh folks at the helm. The counters will help us all be on the same page in the important discussions that will be coming up about the future of the park. That said, it’s worth keeping in mind that we are starting our counts in a unique first “post-covid” season and this year’s numbers could ultimately be seen as an outlier. It’s anyone’s guess right now.

Derrick Mayoleth

For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.