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Ecola State Park

Hundreds of thousands more flock to Connecticut parks

Aug 31, 2019

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Hundreds of thousands more people are visiting state beaches and parks, due in part to a two-year-old program that provides free admittance for vehicles with a Connecticut license plate.

Rough estimates indicate there has been an approximate 10% percent increase in traffic to the parks this season compared to last season, which was the first year of the Passport to Parks initiative, said Tom Tyler, director of state parks for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

There was an estimated 10% jump in attendance in 2018 as well. Approximately 10 million visitors come to Connecticut state parks each year.

"We are seeing another very strong year," said Tyler, noting there were "a ton of really hot, humid, sunny weekends" that likely contributed to the uptick as well. Tyler said there was also in increase in out-of-state parking fees of about 10%, which likely had a lot to do with the good beach weather.

Associated Press Aug. 31, 2019 Updated: Aug. 31, 2019 7:44 a.m.

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