Visitors open wallets for Michigan's national parks

More than 3 million visitors to Michigan's national park lands spent $294 million in 2021.

• That's more than what visitors spent at national parks, historic sites, historic trails and other units of the National Park Service in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana combined, NPS data shows.

By the numbers: Visitors generated $441 million in economic output in the state economy while visiting NPS lands in Michigan last year.

• 1.7 million park visitors spent $206 million at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
• In the Upper Peninsula, they spent $64.2 million at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and $5.9 million at Isle Royale National Park.

Of note: NPS measures economic output as the total estimated value of the production of goods and services from visitor spending nearby park lands.

💭 Sam's thought bubble: Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks feature majestic cliffs that make it seem like you're in New Zealand.

• I'm grateful my parents took me to both parks as a kid — no matter how I pouted on the long drives there.