Yellowstone National Park breaks September and annual visitation records

Yellowstone already exceeds visitation record

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — With three months still to go, Yellowstone National Park already has set a record for annual visitation, thanks to strong numbers in September.

Park visitation during the first nine months of the year has totaled about 3.41 million, breaking the annual record of just under 3.3 million last year.

Yellowstone also set a record for a September with 550,000 visitors last month, up from the mark of nearly 490,000 set last year. It was the fourth record-breaking month in a row for Yellowstone.

Yellowstone officials have said park visitation is up because parks are a relative bargain for cost-conscious vacationers in a down economy.