Gov. Ayotte proclaims 2025 ‘The Year of NH State Parks’ as part of a year-long 90th anniversary celebration

June 25, 2025— At Wednesday’s Governor and Council meeting, Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed a proclamation designating 2025 “The Year of New Hampshire State Parks,” part of a year-long celebration of the agency’s 90th anniversary.

Founded as the Forest and Recreation Commission in 1935 and now a division within the N.H. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, N.H. State Parks has grown to include 94 properties statewide – campgrounds, hiking parks, waysides, inland and ocean beaches, and more – that provide outdoor recreation activities in all four seasons.

N.H. State Parks’ Trails Bureau manages thousands of miles of snowmobile, all-terrain, off-highway recreational and rail trails, and its Historic Sites Bureau maintains 16 historic properties ranging from the home of New Hampshire’s first provincial governor to the Tip Top House, lodging built at the summit of Mount Washington in 1853. Cannon Mountain ski area is also part of the division; its tram is a popular destination year round.

“New Hampshire’s State Parks are where families make memories, communities come together, and our natural beauty is on full display,” said Gov. Ayotte. “By declaring 2025 ‘The Year of New Hampshire State Parks,’ we’re celebrating these special places and recommitting to preserving them for future generations.

“Congratulations to N.H. State Parks on 90 wonderful years of preserving what makes our state the most beautiful in the nation!”

The Governor’s proclamation notes that “New Hampshire State Parks continually evolve to meet the changing needs of residents and visitors, while also preserving the timeless and traditional experiences that define its treasured properties.”

In recent years, visitation at N.H. State Parks has increased, an indicator of growing interest in the state’s outdoor recreation sector, an $2.7 billion industry that directly employs 28,000 workers statewide and provides $25 in tax revenue for every dollar invested.

“At N.H. State Parks, we like to say that ‘We’re in the memory-making business,’” said N.H. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Commissioner Sarah L. Stewart. “Our 90th anniversary is a tremendous opportunity for people to get out and revisit the parks they know but also to explore new gems and create new memories.”

As part of its 90th anniversary celebration, N.H. State Parks has created an interactive scavenger hunt that invites visitors to go on missions, complete tasks, answer trivia questions and upload photos. Prizes are based on the number of tasks completed and range from stickers, day-use passes and State Parks-branded items to a grand prize of camping gear from Dover, N.H.-based NEMO Equipment.

For more information about N.H. State Parks and to download the scavenger hunt app, visit at nhstateparks.org.

The Division of Parks and Recreation is one of five divisions of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. N.H. State Parks is comprised of the Bureau of Park Operations, the Bureau of Historic Sites, the Bureau of Trails, the Bureau of Community Recreation and Cannon Mountain Ski Area. The Division manages 94 properties, including state parks, beaches, campgrounds, historic sites, trails, waysides and natural areas. To learn more, visit nhstateparks.org, follow N.H. State Parks on Facebook, Instagram and X, or call 603-271-3556.

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