Summer Numbers

In the spring of 2021, a variety of counters were put in at Devil’s Lake State Park and some surrounding properties, giving us the first clearer look at how many people visit the park. 2022 will be the first year we can get complete numbers. However, here are the visitor estimates presented by the Department of Natural Resources for Devil’s Lake so far, beginning in June of this year.

*** How are these estimates arrived at? Counters are placed at the north and south shore entrances to the park. The counters see the number of cars coming across their line of view, then the TRAFx software uses a scientific formula to estimate how many actual visitors those cars represent. Of course, some cars drive through the park and don’t stay, while some outlying parking lots don’t have counters, etc. But we do all have to have numbers we can agree on and these 3 counters cover the majority of park visitors.

Derrick Mayoleth

For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.