Community Corner
Summit County Metro Parks Breaks Visitation Record
There were more than 5.1 million visits to the Metro Parks in 2011.
It was a record-breaking year for the Summit County Metro Parks, according to park officials.
The park system saw more than 5.1 million visits in 2011, its 90th anniversary year. That number is up more than 88,000 from 2010 and includes visits at 14 parks, the paved 33.5-mile Bike & Hike Trail, 22.4 miles of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail and the visitors center at F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm.
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The most visited park in 2011 was Sand Run in West Akron, which attracted 1.75 million visits.
The numbers are tallied from traffic counts, pavilion and shelter reservations, event participation, swim pass sales at two parks and attendance estimates from special-use permits for non-park events, like cross-country meets.
“It’s not an exact science, but consider that we haven’t measured walk-in visitors for places like Goodyear Heights Metro Park, and we may be under-representing actual visitation figures,” said Metro Parks spokesperson Nathan Eppink.
For a full list of Metro Parks activities, visit the website.
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