Date: June 6, 2011
Contact: Al Nash or Dan Hottle, (307) 344-2015
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Yellowstone National Park
P.O. Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2011 11-056
Al Nash or Dan Hottle (307) 344-2015
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK NEWS RELEASE
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Yellowstone Spring Visitation Down
The number of visitors to Yellowstone National Park for May and for the first five months of the calendar year is down compared to the same periods a year ago.
Park visitation for January through May was 317,882, down 11.4 percent from the same five month period last year. Visitation for the month of May was 218,317, down 12.8 percent from May 2010 levels.
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Yellowstone Visitation
2011 2010 Change
January 24,517 25,595 - 4.2
February 28,174 29,108 - 3.2
March 18,728 21,028 - 10.9
April 28,147 32,763 - 14.1
May 218,317 250,445 - 12.8
Total
Year-To-Date 317,882 358,939 - 11.4
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Most of the park is inaccessible by automobile during the winter and early spring. May represents the first month most major park roads are typically open to wheeled visitor traffic, and when visitor services begin to reopen for the busy summer season.
The winter and spring seasons represent a small but important portion of the park's annual visitation.
In comparison, as many people typically visit the park during the first two weeks in July as entered the park during the entire first five months of this year.
The park has experienced back-to-back record visitation years, with nearly 3.3 million visitors in 2009 and over 3.6 million visitors in 2010.
- www.nps.gov/yell -
