Wisconsin
National parks saw a record number of visitors in 2024. How many people visited in Wisconsin?
The Kakagon Sloughs, one of Wisconsin’s 18 National Natural Landmarks
The National Park Service’s Natural Landmarks Program preserves many of the nation’s diverse and unique biological and geological environments.
National parks reported a record-high number of nearly 332 million visitors last year, just as President Donald Trump’s mass purge of federal employees hits the agency, causing concern for an uncertain future.
According to new NPS data, 331.9 million recreation visitors traveled to the national parks last year. That’s an increase of 6.36 million recreation visits, or 2%, from 2023. The previous record was set in 2016 with slightly under 330 million visitors.
An internal memo directed at the National Park Service instructed employees to not publicize the visitor information, the New York Times reported, stating the agency would “not issue a press release or other proactive communications, including social media posts” on the visitor data.
The report comes as 1,000 National Park Service employees across the country were fired as part of the Trump administration’s layoffs of thousands of federal employees nationwide, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.
In Wisconsin, thousands of visitors explored national parks, lakeshores and trails across the state. Here’s a breakdown of the latest NPS visitor information in Wisconsin, and how the Trump administration federal layoffs could affect the agency.
How many people visited Wisconsin’s national parks in 2024?
Located in the northern tip of Wisconsin’s Bayfield Peninsula, Apostle Islands welcomed 253,703 visitors in 2024, according to the report. That’s up from the previous year with a recorded 247,167 visitors.
The Apostle Islands, one of the country’s three national lakeshores, faces an uncertain future due to staff layoffs, which could impact accessibility at the park. Local businesses and the $55.7 million economy tied to the park are anticipating a potential downturn due to potential layoffs.
The NPS data also reported that 29,711 people visited the Ice Age Trail in 2024, and 900,828 people visited Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, located in Wisconsin and Minnesota, last year.
The report did not show visitor data for the North Country Scenic Riverway.
Most visited national parks in the U.S. in 2024:
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee: 12.1 million
- Zion National Park in Utah: 4.9 million
- Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona: 4.9 million
- Yellowstone National Park in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming: 4.7 million
- Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado: 4.1 million
Where are the national parks in Wisconsin?
For more information you can visit nps.gov/state/wi.
Caitlin Looby contributed to this report.
A troubling trend for the Wisconsin football continues when it comes to the NFL Draft.
In the past, it was common for Wisconsin football players to be taken early and often over the three days of the draft, but recently, the number of Badgers being taken is dwindling. And when they are, they have been late Day 3 picks.
This year the program hit rock bottom. Not one Badger got drafted in 257 selections, the first time since 1978. There was a thought that maybe a few Badgers would be picked late, but they all went undrafted.
But that doesn’t mean those players football dream is over.
As soon as that last pick is announced, players are agreeing to sign on with teams as undrafted free agents (UDFAs). As was the case with many other former Wisconsin Badgers, these players will have a shot to make an NFL roster in 2026 the hard way.
Here is where every Badger landed as an undrafted rookie after the NFL Draft was completed.
Destinations For Every Undrafted Wisconsin Badger
EDGE Mason Reiger – Signed with the Miami Dolphins – via Jordan Schultz
WR Vinny Anthony – Signed with the Atlanta Falcons – via Nick Osen, 247Sports
TE Lance Mason – Signed with the Seattle Seahawks – via Aaron Wilson, KPRC 2 Houston
S Austin Brown – Signed with the Indianapolis Colts – via Tom Pelissero, NFL Network
OL Riley Mahlman – Signed with the Atlanta Falcons – via Aaron Wilson, KPRC 2 Houston
CB Nyzier Fourqurean – Signed with the Los Angeles Rams – via Aaron Wilson, KPRC 2 Houston
EDGE Darryl Peterson – Signed with the Los Angeles Rams – via Aaron Wilson, KPRC 2 Houston
FB Jackson Acker – Signed with the Buffalo Bills – via Aaron Wilson, KPRC 2 Houston
DL Ben Barten – Signed with the New York Giants – via Wisconsin Football
WR Jayden Ballard – Invited to minicamp with the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts – via Aaron Wilson, KPRC 2 Houston
DL Jay’Viar Suggs – Signed with the New Orleans Saints – via US Sports Management
DL Parker Petersen – Signed with the Carolina Panthers – via Wisconsin Football
K Nathanial Vakos – Invited to minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – via Wisconsin Football
This will be updated with new signings.
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MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A Columbia County restaurant has earned the title of making Wisconsin’s best burger.
Awarded by the Wisconsin Beef Council, the Tennessee Whiskey Burger from Dump Bar and Grill in Cambria is this year’s winner.
The content promotes 100% beef burgers made in Wisconsin restaurants.
The Dump earned the highest ranking from a secret panel of three judges who travel to the elite eight restaurants.
The dump has been nominated by customers for three years in a row.
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Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield shares his biggest spring takeaway
Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield shared his biggest takeaway from the spring following the Badgers’ four-set win over Northern Illinois.
MADISON – Wisconsin volleyball got one last tune-up in the spring.
The Badgers, while showing some things that still need to be tuned up, ultimately won four sets against Northern Illinois, 25-18, 25-18, 25-13, 25-22, on April 24 at the UW Field House to conclude their spring schedule.
UW and Northern Illinois planned to play four sets regardless of the outcome of the first three sets (although they did not record stats for the fourth set).
The second and third sets had a combined 13 ties and six lead changes in the four sets as the Badgers faced a Northern Illinois team with only eight players (and no players taller than 6-foot-2). UW broke free in the third set with a 12-0 scoring run, but the fourth set was tied as late as 21-21.
Here are three takeaways from the Badgers’ win:
Eva Travis, Jaela Auguste again have starring roles (and highlight-worthy kills)
Eva Travis’ first spring after playing in the Big West ended with a big performance against Northern Illinois, recording 10 kills while hitting .643 as she started the first two sets and subbed in for the third set.
“Eva’s getting a lot better,” Sheffield said. “That’s not to say that she hasn’t had a great first freshman and sophomore year because she did. But where she’s been the last two weeks versus the first month here – she’s really settling in and becoming the player that we thought she was capable of being when we went after her in the portal.”
Fellow transfer Jaela Auguste also had 10 kills while hitting .769 and recording four blocks. Sheffield will especially remember one of those 10 kills – an authoritative blow off a one-handed set by Charlie Fuerbringer that excited the UW Field House crowd.
“That’s probably one of the top five highlights this building has even seen,” Sheffield said. “Unfortunately, we threw the next ball into the net when we were serving. But for that one fleeting moment, that was a pretty sweet play.”
Travis and Auguste’s starring roles were a similar story as six days earlier, when Travis had eight kills and Auguste had 10 against UW-Green Bay. Auguste also had six blocks in the road win.
Wisconsin’s depth on display against Huskies
While Auguste and Travis were at the top of UW’s box score, the Badgers also showcased the depth of their attack in the win over Northern Illinois.
Freshman outside hitters Audrey Flanagan and Halle Thompson each had seven kills. (Flanagan hit .455, and Thompson hit .353.) Sophomore middle blocker Natalie Wardlow had six kills while hitting .625.
Freshman middle blocker Lynney Tarnow’s stat line did not jump out as much – three kills while hitting .429 – but one of those was practically a bullet down the right side that landed right in front of the NIU back row.
Eight of the 10 non-libero UW players recorded at least two kills in the three sets that counted toward the official stats, and those eight players each hit above .350 in the process. The Badgers hit .525 as a whole.
That was all while the Badgers were once again without Grace Egan and Grace Lopez amid their continued injury recoveries. Neither player saw the floor in any of UW’s three spring matches.
“It’ll be a nice parlor game trying to figure out who’s going to play for this team,” Sheffield said. “Especially on the pins, there’s a lot of capable players, and we had some of them that didn’t even get in today.”
Wisconsin gets sloppy from service line
The Badgers certainly did not have their finest showing from the service line in their spring finale against Northern Illinois.
UW had 14 service errors while recording only three service aces in the three sets where the team kept official stats. Those 14 errors came from eight UW players, as Sheffield said jokingly that “everybody felt like it was their duty to miss two or three.”
“In three [sets]? You’re too kind not counting the fourth set,” Sheffield said. “It was sloppier than it’s been in previous matches. … Sometimes that can be a little bit contagious, like free-throw shooting.”
The 14 service errors against NIU were up from Wisconsin’s seven in the first three sets against UW-Green Bay and 11 in four sets against Marquette. Sheffield seems unlikely to lose too much sleep over the woes at the service line, though.
“I really think that’s going to end up being a strength of ours, so I’m not overly that concerned,” Sheffield said. “We’ve been really good behind the service line in the other matches that we played. We’ve been really good behind the service line in practices.”
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