News Release

Road closures reduce Yellowstone's September visitation

Date: October 11, 2017
Contact: Morgan Warthin, [phone]

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WY – The park hosted 640,068 visits in September 2017. This was the third busiest September on record, down 8.79 percent from September 2016, which saw 701,754 visits. The second busiest September was in 2015 and saw 680,213 visits.

Visits may have declined due to several days of inclement, snowy weather. Road closures resulting from snow, ice, and avalanche danger occurred on September 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. Portions of the Beartooth Highway were also closed from September 15 to 28.

So far in 2017, the park has hosted 3,872,776 visits, down 2.47 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 19.6 percent higher than five years ago in 2012.

YTD Recreational Visits (through September)
2017: 3,872,776
2016: 3,970,778
2015: 3,814,178
2014: 3,288,803
2013: 3,111,923
2012: 3,238,129

The continued high level of visitation at Yellowstone underscores how important it is for visitors to plan their trip to the park. Visitors should anticipate delays at popular attractions 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.