National park visitors spent $525 million in Washington last year

America’s national parks aren’t just a collection of pretty and historic places.

They’re also a cash cow.

A report from National Park Service economists released this week found that visitor spending in towns near national parks and recreation areas set a new record in 2022 – a whopping $24 billion.

Each state gets a piece of the pie, and Washington made out pretty well. It drew $525 million, the state’s fourth-highest spending total in the past decade.

The annual analysis looks at visitation data, spending patterns in gateway regions and regional economic multipliers. The spending numbers focus on towns within 60 miles of a national park, and they account for money visitors spent on things like lodging, food, gas and services during their trips.

NPS economists also used the data to calculate the full economic benefit of the parks. They found that nationwide spending supported 378,000 jobs and resulted in $50.3 billion in economic output.

In Washington, visitor spending supported nearly 5,700 jobs and $722 million in economic output.

Washington topped its neighbors Idaho and Oregon by a longshot, according to the report. Oregon received $85.5 million in visitor spending, while Idaho garnered $39.4 million.

But it still couldn’t match Montana’s $621 million in spending or crack the top 15 in the nation. California led the country with $2.7 billion in spending, followed by North Carolina and Utah.

Some parks bring in a lot more dough than others. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee logged the most visitor spending in the country at $2.7 billion.

Two other parks topped the billion mark – Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Golden Gate National Park in California.

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming received $597 million in spending. Yellowstone racked up $452 million, and Glaicer brought in $368 million.

In Washington, Olympic National Park led the way, with $228 million in spending. Mount Rainier was next on the list, with $67.2 million.

National recreation areas and historic sites managed by NPS were part of the analysis also, and those places bring in big money, too.

At Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, visitors spent $63.7 million. Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area saw $56.6 million, and Ross Lake National Recreation Area drew $50.6 million.

Washington’s portion of the Manhattan Project National Historic Park in Hanford, which was designated in 2015, accounted for about $264,000 in visitor spending.

The analysis broke down how visitors spent their money. Lodging made up 37% of spending. Restaurants came in second, with nearly 20%, and gas was third, at 11%.

Washington mostly followed that trend, but visitors on average spent a higher percentage of their money on gas, about 15%.