Visitation to Yellowstone National Park for the month of May and for the first five months of 2014 overall is up almost six percent compared to the previous year.

Visitation to the world’s first national park begins to pick up in May as weather improves and interior roads and visitor facilities begin to open to the public.

There were 310,039 recreational visitors to Yellowstone in May and a total of 415,185 for the first five months of 2014. That compares to 293,250 recreational visitors for May 2013 and 392,222 recreational visitors for January through May 2013, according to a statement released by the park’s public affairs office.

   

Visits

2014

 

Visits

2013

 

Change

January 26,778 24,699 +   8.42 %
February 28,233 31,053 –    9.08 %
March 18,778 18,613 +   0.89 %
April 31,356 24,606 + 27.43 %
May 310,039 293,250 +   5.73 %
Total Year-To-Date 415,185   392,222     +    5.85%

Visitation at each of the park’s five entrances for the month of May and for the first five months of 2014 is up compared to 2013 levels.

Visitation statistics are calculated by taking the actual number of wheeled vehicles entering the park gates, and using a person-per-vehicle multiplier to calculate the number of monthly recreational visitors.

July is typically the park’s peak visitation month, followed in order by August, June, September, and May.

Detailed park visitation information and additional information on how these statistics are calculated is available online at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/Reports/ReportList.