Yellowstone Sets July Visitor Record
This marks the first time visitation exceeded 1 million visits in a single month
Image Caption:
Yellowstone National Park hosted 1,080,767 recreation visits in July 2021, making it the most-visited July on record according to an NPS press release. This marked a 13% increase since 2020 and a 13% increase since 2019. So far in 2021, the park has hosted 2,668,765 recreation visits.
The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through July):
2021 – 2,668,765
2020 – 1,674,699*
2019 – 2,294,691
2018 – 2,322,271
2017 – 2,316,541
2016 – 2,427,988
“Increases to Yellowstone’s visitation have accelerated rapidly over the past 12 months and we continue to be on pace to set record numbers for 2021,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly. “We are actively developing defensible short and long-term solutions, with our partners, which focus on the protection of park resources, improving the visitor experience, and considering impacts on park staffing, infrastructure, and our gateway communities and regional economies.”
This July also set a record as the highest visitation month on record for the park. Some of the most highly concentrated visitation areas include Old Faithful, Midway Geyser Basin, Norris, Canyon rims, and Lamar Valley.
Summer is Yellowstone’s busiest season. Millions of people visit the park in June, July and August. If you plan to travel to Yellowstone this summer, plan ahead, expect crowding, recreate responsibly and take the Yellowstone Pledge to protect yourself and the park, according to the press release.
