Campers from near and far got to enjoy new improvements at Lake Darling State Park this summer.

This year was the first for the modern four-season cabins in operation, and Park Ranger Zach Haworth comments on their popularity, “They have been used every single day, every single week. We’ve only, here towards the end of summer, started to have a few vacancies open up, but pretty much since the beginning of June they have been booked solid.”

Haworth says it’s also been a busy summer for the smaller camping cabins and the campground. The summer wasn’t without its challenges, as Haworth says the park was affected by budget cuts made to the DNR. The park’s staff went from six seasonal employees last year to three this year, “We still try to maintain a level of service to the park users, but we may not always get out to the trails as often or get certain things done as often. We’ve had to really refocus our priorities this year on some of the high-use areas and things like the campgrounds, our lodge, the cabins.”

Haworth says some projects were put on the back-burner as staff efforts were focused on general maintenance of the grounds. Haworth hopes a slower camping season in the fall will allow more time to work on additional projects.