APRIL VISITATION
Mount Rainier
April 2012: 25,320
April 2011: 20,049
Difference: 26.3 percent
Year to date 2012: 72,552
Year to date 2011: 78,512
Difference: -7.6 percent
What a difference some sunny weekends make. Finally, buoyed by good weather, the number of recreation visits in April was up 26.3 percent compared with April 2011. Last month’s count was the highest April count since 2007. The strong rebound last month also cut the year-to-date difference to single digits. The number of recreation visits so far in 2012 is down just 7.6 percent compared with last year.
Olympic
April 2012: 114,970
April 2011: 128,660
Difference: -10.6 percent
Year to date 2012: 329,626
Year to date 2011: 383,161
Difference: -14 percent
Recreational visit declines at the Elwha, Kalaloch and Lake Crescent districts contributed to an overall decline in April. It was also the worst April count in the past five years. Despite the poor month, the park was able to trim its annual count deficit from 15.7 percent in March to 14 percent last month.
Jeffrey P. Mayor, jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com