Despite park closures and stalled state and national economies during the COVID-19 pandemic, six million people still visited Colorado lands managed by the National Park Service (NPS) last year. Those visitors spent $392 million on things like lodging and recreational activities in âgatewayâ areas near the stateâs NPS lands, according to the agency. Thatâs down from a peak of $515 million spent in the state by visitors in 2019. The visitor spending also supported 5,560 jobs last year and added $586 million in economic output to the stateâs economy, according to NPS data. Rocky Mountain National Park, which was the third most visited national park only behind Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Yellowstone National Park, welcomed 3.3 million visitors last year who spent an estimated $224 million.Â