EVERETT — Suzzane Makale watched from a bench at Willis Tucker Park this week, thankful that her four daughters could enjoy the splash fountains and swing sets.
The economy is keeping Makale closer to home this summer. Her husband still has his job, but he had to take a pay cut. So the family is limiting vacations to day trips.
With city, county and state parks nearby, they’ve been able to enjoy a recent stretch of sunny weather, something they hope to continue in the months ahead.
“We just didn’t plan anything at all because we just couldn’t afford it,” Makale said.
The Mill Creek family is not alone.
County parks have been getting a huge spike of visitors this year. Packed parking lots, busy boat launches and crowded campgrounds all attest to their popularity.
The record-tying stretch of 29 days without rain probably has a lot do to with it, county parks director Tom Teigen said. But he thinks the economy is driving the long-term trend.
Parks staff counted 253,923 visitors last month. That’s a jump of 34 percent over the same month last year, although part of the increase is likely because of recently added park amenities and an extra weekend in May after the Memorial Day weekend.
Still Teigen said that other factors are weighing in: “Part of it’s the weather, part of it’s been the economy because of people staying close to home,” Teigen said.
Campgrounds at county parks, this year or almost any other, are booked every summer weekend far in advance. This year, they’re filling up on weekdays, too, Teigen said.
That seems to be the case at state parks as well.
“It’s during the week that we often have openings and that seems to be a little bit busier this year,” state parks spokeswoman Virginia Painter said.
City parks also appear to be attracting more people.
Parks staff in Edmonds have noticed a telltale sign: more trash.
“We think that many people will depend more on their local pools and parks for their vacations,” Edmonds parks director Brian McIntosh said.
Gas prices above $4 a gallon probably encouraged park use last year, and McIntosh expected the rest of 2009 to be even busier.
Everett officials have noticed more interest in city-sponsored outdoors activities as well as its parks.
“We’re seeing significant growth in programs that let an individual be outdoors,” Everett parks director Paul Kaftanski said. “(I)t’s relatively static for programs that are indoors.”
Everett projects that visitors to Jetty Island, which it manages with the Port of Everett, will surpass last year’s record of 34,000. This is the first year a ferry will run seven days a week from the city’s 10th Street Marina Park, up from six days last year. Service starts Wednesday.
A spike in park popularity hasn’t happened everywhere. The city of Snohomish has noticed a more steady 3 percent to 5 percent increase in attendance during each of the past several years, said Ann Stanton, Snohomish’s parks and trails project manager.
Though many government budgets are shrinking, the county parks system has been expanding thanks to long-range planning.
It has added seven new playgrounds and the spray park at Willis Tucker during the past two years. It reopened the Paradise Valley Conservation Area near Maltby this spring and is on track to more than double the parking at Lord Hill Regional Park south of Snohomish later this summer.
July and August are typically the driest months of the year, so families should have plenty of excuses to venture out.
The National Weather Service predicts slightly warmer and drier remainder of the summer, meteorologist Dennis D’Amico said. During the past 15 Julys, the Everett area has averaged about three-quarters of an inch of rain and a typical 72-degree high.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465 or nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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