News Release
NPS / Jacob W. Frank
News Release Date: October 6, 2026
Contact:
Yellowstone Public Affairs, (307) 344-2015
MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. – Yellowstone National Park hosted 868,450 recreation visits in September 2026, up 3% from September 2025 (839,579 recreation visits).
Visitation in September 2026 showed a 2% decrease from September 2021 (882,078 recreation visits), which was Yellowstone's record-breaking year with over 4.8 million recreation visits and the busiest September on record.
So far in 2026, the park has hosted 4,360,300 recreation visits, down 1% from 2025 (4,387,546 recreation visits), and down 3% from 2021 (4,472,687 recreation visits).
The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through September):
2026 – 4,360,300
2025 – 4,387,546
2024 – 4,346,785
2023 – 4,147,382
2022 – 3,005,194 (The park was closed June 13 through June 21 due to the historic flood event. Three entrances opened on June 22.)
2021 – 4,472,687
More data on park visitation, including how we calculate these numbers, is available on the NPS Stats website.
-nps.gov/yell-
About the National Park Service. Established in 1916, the National Park Service preserves America’s most treasured natural and cultural places for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of current and future generations. Learn more at nps.gov.
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Last updated: October 6, 2026