Second busiest May on record in Yellowstone
Published at | Updated at
The following is a news release from Yellowstone National Park.
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. – The park hosted 419,627 visits in May 2017. This was the second busiest May on record, down 5.6 percent from May 2016, which saw 444,630 visits. While many factors could be at play, park managers point to road closures due to snow in May and the end of the National Park Service Centennial year as influences in visitation.
So far in 2017, the park has hosted 550,413 visits, down 7.3 percent from the same period in 2016 (which was the highest on record). The table below shows the trend over the last five years. Year-to-date visitation in 2017 is 28.7 percent higher than five years ago in 2013.
YTD Recreational Visits
(through May)
- 2017: 550,413
- 2016: 593,755
- 2015: 518,087
- 2014: 415,185
- 2013: 392,222
The continued high level of visitation at Yellowstone underscores how important it is for visitors to plan your trip to the park. Visitors, please anticipate delays at popular attractions, plan ahead, and check road conditions on the park’s website.
Detailed park visitation information and additional information on how these statistics are calculated is available online.