The summer tourism season may be over but state officials are thrilled as visitation numbers roll in. Montana state parks saw their busiest summer on record this year. Flathead-area parks saw the highest numbers, with over 303,000 visitors during the summer.

The overall state saw a 7-percent increase over last year, with about 1.3 million visitors. NBC Montana spoke with one Kalispell resident about what draws her to her local park.

“I think it’s relaxing to be out somewhere where there’s no cell phones and TV’s and noises of the media world,” said Janice Heil.

Montana parks saw the most visitors in July. About 445,000 people came through.