Published: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 1:09 AM CDT

The Lewis and Clark Recreation Area experienced a record number of visitors this year.However, Jeff Van Meeteren, the regional park supervisor for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GF&P) thinks that numbers could have been higher than they were.

“The numbers we had this year were good, but I was hoping they would have been a little higher than they were,” he said.

He added that there is still an opportunity to raise the numbers this fall.

“We have had fantastic falls the last several years, so there is still a chance the numbers rise even higher.”

So far from Jan. 1 to Labor Day this year, the number of day visitations to the park, measured by counting the number of cars that come in, is up nearly 5 percent from where it was in 2011.

However, the key indicator to numbers at the park comes from the amount of campers staying on the grounds,

“The camping unit is really our bread and butter number,” Van Meeteren said. “The nightly camp unit numbers is really one of the key numbers that we count.”

This year, the number of campers at Lewis and Clark is up 8.3 percent from 2011. Chief White Crane camping numbers are up 11.8 percent from last year, while Pierson Ranch numbers are up 9.6 percent from last year as well. All told, when compared to last year, numbers are up an average of more than 10 percent. Van Meeteren added that he was hoping numbers at Lewis and Clark would have been up closer to 10 percent.

“Everything will be up a little bit from last year because of the flooding we experienced,” he said. “We also have been measuring back to 2010, which was the prior record season.”

When looking back to 2010, the numbers at Chief White Crane and Pierson Ranch are right about at where they were that year. However, Lewis and Clark camping numbers are up 4.4 percent from 2010.

“When we break 5 percent increases at Lewis and Clark from the previous year, we are really having a fantastic year, so we shouldn’t really be complaining about these numbers,” Van Meeteren said. “It’s been a long and great season so far.”

He added that the number of campers at the park this year made 2012 the best year they’ve ever had.

“We had a fantastic Labor Day weekend, and there are still a lot of people looking to camp this fall,” Van Meeteren said. “Nothing this fall should change the record numbers that we’ve experienced this season.”

He added that the hot weather through the summer and fall has not deterred anyone from visiting the park.

“Overall there was just a huge pent up demand for people to get outside this year because of last years flooding,” he said.  “The summer got off to one of the earliest starts we’ve ever had, which helped the numbers we saw.”

Despite the still struggling economy, Van Meeteren said people will still come out and enjoy the park.

“No matter where the economy is, people still put a high priority on family time and on their recreational time,” he said. “Fortunately for us, the economy is not making a big dent in our numbers. People might not come as often, but they might stay longer to compensate for that. The bad economy does not seem to be hurting us too much.”

Van Meeteren added that the high gas prices also don’t seem to be deterring people from getting outside and getting to the recreational areas around the region.

“There are things people can do to make the adjustment to the bad economy,” he noted. “The economy really doesn’t seem to have slowed people down from getting outside.”

He said that the flooding from last year, more so than this year’s hot and dry weather, drove traffic to the lake this year. He added that weather does not influence numbers as much as people think it does.

“People get it in their heads that they’re going to go on vacation and tend to roll with it and don’t typically cancel,” Van Meeteren said. “Flooding like we saw last year really only happens once in a great while.”

He said there are benefits to both the park and the community when campers visit the recreation area.

“The average night stay to Lewis and Clark has grown from just a weekend to three- four- or five-night stays,” he said. “Generally, you can only stay in the park and entertain yourself for two days, then you’re going to start to venture out into the community and see what there is to do.”

People will go out and explore the other businesses around the area, including the mall, restaurants and other attractions in Yankton.

“We really like to promote the local activities,” Van Meeteren said. “It gives campers something to do, so chances are they’ll stay at the park longer. It really becomes a win-win situation for both the community and the park.”

He added that the prediction for a warmer, dry fall will only bode well for the numbers of campers to Lewis and Clark this fall.

“If the weather prediction holds true, we should have a good fall,” he said. “The only thing  that slows fall numbers down is if there is a good, hard freeze and so far I haven’t heard anyone talk about that yet.”

Follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal

 

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