Camping in the last two months reached historic highs in Tennessee State Parks and Perry County's Mousetail Landing State Park is no exception.

According to Park Ranger John Bowen, Mousetail "has had a marked increase in visitation this year, possibly due to the COVID-19 pandemic."

"This year we had to close the park for a few weeks trying to get protocols in place to handle the pandemic. When we were allowed to open, 50 percent of our campgrounds, our sites filled up to allowed capacity. We were then allowed to open to 100 percent capacity and the campgrounds remained completely filled almost every weekend," Bowen reported.

Check out these numbers for comparison:

• Mousetail campsites rented in 2019 numbered 2,149.
• So far in 2020, campsite rentals have totaled 3,137 a jump of 46 percent.

"Our visitation has increased between 5,000 and 10,000 additional people per month since April, with just over 42,000 in the month of October, and almost 26,000 in November," Ranger Bowen said.

Statewide, parks saw 62,124 nights camping in October, a one-month record for camping stays in the system, topping the mark of 57,472 nights set in June 2020.

In Tennessee, November saw over 36,000 camping nights sold, the highest number for November and exceeding November 2019 by 15,000 nights.

Four of the top ten camping months ever in the state parks have occurred in 2020, driven by visitors seeking the outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The impact of COVID-19 simply underscores a growing awareness that the outdoors are a sanctuary for mental and physical health," Jim Bryson, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Enrironment and Conservation, said.

"The appeal of louder, busier and crowded entertainment venues has given way to the space, freedom and connection the outdoors provides."

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated outdoor recreation trends that have steadily grown over the last several years.

Statistics from the Bureau of Economic Analysis released recently show the outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the United States for 2019.

In Tennessee, outdoor recreation value added as a share of GDP was 2.4 percent.

July 2020 saw 56,033 camping nights sold in Tennessee State Parks, which makes June, July and October of this year the top three months ever recorded.

September saw 48,350 camping nights sold, making it the sixth best month ever, following July 2019 (49,217) and October 2016 (49,003).

The November total for 2020 was the overall 32nd best month ever.

Tennessee State Parks operate over 3,000 campsites ranging from RV sites with full hookups to back-country spots deep in the woods.

Reprint from Buffalo River Review, Volume 45, Number 36, December 9, 2020