Yellowstone East Gate
Visitors wait to enter through Yellowstone National Park’s East Gate. (Ruffin Prevost/Yellowstone Gate file photo)

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, WYO. — Yellowstone National Park hosted 871,163 recreation visits in August 2024, up 3% from August 2023 (846,389 recreation visits), according to figures released in a statement from the park’s public affairs office.

But August visitation for this year showed a 5% decrease from August 2021 (921,844 recreation visits), which was the busiest year on record for the park. In 2021, a total of more than 4.8 million visitors flocked to Yellowstone in an effort to escape the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in large cities around the country.

So far in 2024, the park has hosted 3,497,254 recreation visits, up 6% from 2023 (3,308,924 recreation visits), and down 3% from 2021 (3,590,609 recreation visits).

The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through August):

2024 – 3,497,254
2023 – 3,308,924
2022 – 2,437,607 (The park was closed June 13 through June 21 due to the historic flood event. Three entrances opened on June 22.)
2021 – 3,590,609
2020 – 2,556,528 (The park was closed March 24 through May 17 due to COVID. Two entrances opened on May 18 and the remaining three opened on June 1.)
2019 – 3,114,697

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