LOLO - Travelers' Rest State Park in Lolo showed a 70 percent increase in visitation during 2005 attributed to a new entrance, a four-day Lewis and Clark Bicentennial event and a fast-growing education program.

There was a special bicentennial commemoration in September, 2005 along with increased winter activities and more emphasis on education programs.

More than 25,000 visitors showed up in 2005 compared to 14,700 in 2004.

The park includes the only archaeologically verified Lewis and Clark campsite in the nation. Records indicate the expedition stopped there in September, 1805 and summer, 1806. Native American people had long used the site as a gathering place.

"We have been following an upward trend in visitation since the park opened in 2002" said Loren Flynn, executive director of the Travelers' Rest Preservation and Heritage Association.

"Our number of education contacts doubled in the past year" said Flynn, "primarily through school field trips."

More informationi about Travelers' Rest State Park is available at www.travelersrest.org.