News & Events

Governor Brad Little proposed – and the Idaho Legislature approved – $165 million in two budget bills to dramatically improve and expand Idaho State Parks and recreational facilities across the state.

The funding package commits unprecedented resources toward new campgrounds, day use areas and marinas; it erases a long-standing maintenance backlog at the 30 state parks; and it provides the rangers, craftsmen and other staff needed to serve and protect a record number of visitors. Little said the investment was needed to “keep Idaho’s great outdoors great.”

“Idaho’s abundant outdoor opportunities are a part of the reason we love living here and are also one of the biggest drivers of our economy,” Little said. “That is why access to the outdoors must remain at the forefront.”

The initiative provides the largest, single-year budget in the history of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) and breaks down into three parts:

• A $100 million expansion and repair program, which will target a $70 million backlog of maintenance projects at the parks and includes sewer systems, water wells, roads and bridges and building repairs. More campsites and day use facilities will be added to the park system in the next several years.
  
  A portion of the funding, $5 million, is earmarked for cooperative projects between IDPR, the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL), the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) and other entities and stakeholders to create new recreational opportunities. Possible projects could include Parks acquiring acreage from Lands to expand parks and to create new campgrounds, or improving roads and leases with private landowners that could allow Idahoans better access to recreation areas.
  
  An additional $5 million in capital project funding comes from State Fiscal Recovery Funds, which is the second-year installment of federal funding approved by the governor and Legislature last year. The American Rescue Plan Act funding, tied to building and maintenance projects, will total $45 million by the Fiscal 2026 budget year.
  
• The initiative’s second component is a robust, $68.9 million operating budget (including the $5 million in ARPA mentioned above) for Fiscal 2024, which increases operating funds for parks struggling to keep up with record visitation. It also includes more funding for 10 rangers, assistant park managers and support personnel at parks, two trail rangers to expand work on the state’s recreation trails, and two maintenance workers to provide better upkeep of parks in eastern Idaho. Additionally, a group shelter and facilities at McCroskey State Park and a new entrance kiosk at the Lionhead unit of Priest Lake State Park are included.
  
  IDPR is mostly a self-funded agency, historically raising 94 percent of its budget from camping and entrance fees, the State Park Passport, recreational stickers (boats, RVs, off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles), and federal grants. The Legislature provides spending authority through the budget.
  
• The initiative’s last component is $900,000 to build a new maintenance shop on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, which will provide enhanced upkeep of the popular, 72-mile trail, which gets more than 134,000 users a year. The shop will also provide housing for IDPR staff.

“We’re pleased and thankful to the Governor and Legislature for these resources and the endorsement this initiative represents for the department,” IDPR Director Susan Buxton said. “This will allow us to provide the campsites, trails, boating access and memory-making experiences Idahoans expect. It’s a wonderful time for outdoor recreation in Idaho.”

(Photo: Governor Brad Little giving a speech at the event.)

Idaho State Parks saw record numbers of visitors over the last three years – a yearly average of 7.4 million, or a 27-percent increase over prior years – and a recent public survey indicates increased interest in outdoor recreation from Idahoans going forward. Besides the 30 State Parks, IDPR oversees recreational boating, RV, snowmobiling, and off-highway vehicle programs and conducts maintenance on more than 2,000 miles of trail each year.

“The funding infusion will allow us to meet the public’s need for more outdoor recreation opportunities,” said Brian Beckley, IDPR Board chairman. “More people playing outside is good for everyone – and also great for Idaho’s economy.”

Research shows IDPR’s park and recreational programs annually contribute $1.2 billion to Idaho’s economy, about 43 percent of the total in outdoor recreation, as estimated the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Top Photo: (left to right) Idaho Governor Brad Little, Lorna Hammond (former Challis Hot Springs,owner), Director Buxton, and Brian Beckley the chairman of the IDPR Board