The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

COVID-19 hasn't slowed people from going to Steamboat Rock State Park, which includes the Steamboat Rock area, Northrup Canyon, and Northrup Point boat launch. 

Statistics from Washington State Parks show a 23% increase in the total number of visitors to the state park in June, compared to last year.

In the month of June, Steamboat Rock State Park received 86,566 visitors in 2020, compared to 70,434 in June of 2019, 69,658 in 2018, and 72,590 in 2017.

You have to go back to June of 2016, when 95,515 visitors went to the park, to find a June that beats 2020's numbers.

Numbers for July of 2020 aren't yet available, but July, 2019 saw 86,478 visitors, and July of 2016 saw 106,089 visitors.

The statistics also show how many visitors stayed overnight, and 2020's June overnight stays are similar to recent years.

June of 2020 saw 15,162 overnight visitors. This compares to recent years: 14,602 overnight visitors in 2019; 14,669 in 2018, 19,749 in 2017; and 13,027 in 2016. 

Washington State Parks counts actual individuals to gauge how many overnight stays there are, and comes up with day-use numbers using magnetic vehicle counters, then multiplying the number of vehicles by 3.5 people, a multiplier "developed quite some time ago" that "has been reviewed on several occasions and is still maintained to provide a consistent estimate for our day-use visitor counts," explained Washington State Parks Program & Services Specialist Diana MacDonald.

That average has been developed to take into account traffic that can't be measured accurately, such as tour buses.