The survey results are in and once again it appears most visitors to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park are local — but the number of out-of-state visitors continues to rise.
The park service has released the results of its 2015 Visitor Survey that measured everything from the demographics of visitors to preferences for park visits to attitudes about the park.
“The results of the visitor study are very useful for park planning. We now know more about who is coming to the park and their interests for a meaningful park visit,” said Paul Stoehr, acting superintendent, in a statement. “The study also documents how Cuyahoga Valley National Park is becoming more of a tourist draw. In the last 10 years, we have seen a dramatic increase in out-of-state visitation.”
The park covers more than 30,000 acres from Akron to Cleveland.
The latest survey shows the majority of park visitors, 79 percent, are from Ohio, with the rest coming from 36 other states. Just 1 percent of visitors surveyed were not from the U.S.
The park has broadened its appeal over the last decade as results in 2005 found 90 percent of visitors were from Ohio.
The park says it generates more than 2.3 million visits and an economic impact of $203 million annually.
Some of those visitors — roughly 12 percent — reported staying overnight to visit the park.
Of those surveyed, about 30 percent indicated it was their first trip to the park while 48 percent said they visit the park several times a month.
As for the reason for the visit, 38 percent said they visited to get some exercise.
Other reasons that ranked high for visiting the park included being outdoors and viewing wildlife.
Viewing nature was the most common park activity, followed closely by hiking and walking the trails.
The top site visited was the Towpath Trail at 68 percent, with the Boston Store Visitor Center and Brandywine Falls in second and third, respectively.
Some 15 percent of visitors indicated they rode the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, with 44 percent of those riders having taken a previous trip.
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.