In September 1975 the park and its surroundings were designated a Conservation Area and Markeaton Park today is a public park covering approximately and is the most-used leisure facility in Derby with over 1 million visitors per year. It has a wide variety of activities that are spread throughout the park. These include a boating lake, pitch and putt course, children's playground, mini golf course and a light railway. The park attracts people from around Derby but also from smaller surrounding towns such as Belper, Ilkeston and Ashbourne and even from as far as Nottingham and Sheffield. Markeaton Park can, therefore, be considered to be of regional significance.