General Information

Ohio State Parks Fact Sheet Overview

• 75 state parks in 59 counties

• 518 cottages

• 174,000+ land & water acres

• 6 golf courses

• 1,030 miles of shoreline

• 188 boat ramps

• 7583 boat docks

• 55,000,000+ visitor occasions annually

• 80 beaches

• 463 picnic areas

• 3rd most visited state park system nationally

• 36 nature/visitor centers

• 56 state park campgrounds

• 193 playgrounds

• 9,000+ family campsites

• 408 trails/1,167 miles

• 8 resort lodges

• 1,858 miles of road

Public Served

• 83% of Ohioans have visited at least one state park sometime (2002 Ohio Poll)

• 42% of Ohioans visited at least one state park during the prior year (2004 OSU Study)

• Approximately 87% of state park visitors reside in Ohio (Customer Satisfaction Surveys)

• Current users visit an average of 2 state parks an average of 6.5 per year (OSU)

Infrastructure & Equipment

• 2,605 buildings and 140 water/139 sewer systems

• Average age of largest buildings is 38 years and 80% are more than 28 years old

• $550+ million needed to address the existing infrastructure and facility backlog

• 59% of vehicles exceed 100,000 miles and the average vehicle age is 11.3 years

Staffing

• Reduced full-time employees by 39% since 2000

• 442 permanent employees and 887 less-than-full-time (1 to 2 ratio)

• 35 state parks have no on-site manager and 22 state parks have no permanent staff

Funding

• 43.7% of the state park operating budget comes from the GRF (excluding debt service)

• GRF for state parks is 0.05% of total state budget or a mere 5 cents of every $100

• $0.60 GRF spent per visitor occasion and $185 GRF spent per acre annually

• Revenues from fees and charges generated by state parks increased from 19% to 43% of the operating budget since 1991

Benefits of Ohio State Parks

• Preserves Ohio’s natural & cultural heritage for future generations

• Contributes $1.1 billion annually to state and local economies (2004 OSU Study)

• Supports healthy lifestyles through wholesome outdoor recreation

• Improves quality of life for Ohio’s citizens

• Enhances nearby property values

Friends for the Preservation of Ohio State Parks, Inc.