In 2020, the number of overall visitors to Yellowstone National Park is slightly below average compared to the last six years.

So far this year, Yellowstone National Park has hosted 3,383,872 recreation visits. The number of visitors is down 11% from 2019. Here's a look at visitation over the past six years.

  • 2020 – 3,383,872
  • 2019 – 3,807,815
  • 2018 – 3,860,695
  • 2017 – 3,872,775
  • 2016 – 3,970,778
  • 2015 – 3,814,178
As you can see, visitation is down. The decline can mostly be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. The park was closed due to health and safety reasons related to COVID-19 beginning March 24, 2020. Two Wyoming entrances opened on May 18, and three Montana entrances opened on June 1, 2020. All five entrances have been open since June 1.
While overall visitation numbers are down for 2020, that wasn't the case in September. According to YNP, the park hosted 837,499 recreation visits in September 2020. That's a 21% increase from September 2019, making it the busiest September on record.
Yellowstone National Park has some advice for those planning a trip to the park. They ask the visitors recreate responsibly and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
If you are sick, do not visit the park. Self-quarantine to avoid exposing others. Services are also limited in the park, so plan ahead.
To stay update with changes to park operations, download the Yellowstone National Park app or visit www.nps.gov/yell. You can also stay informed by following the parks social media pages.
More data on park visitation, including information on how visitation numbers are calculated, is available on the NPS Stats website.
The information in this article was provided in a press release from Yellowstone National Park.
On October 1, YNP reported an increase in positive employee COVID-19 cases. Click here for more information.

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