Tourism numbers in Yellowstone Park close to all-time record in 2024

While 2021 remains the benchmark, 2024 is not far behind.

Of course, 2021 was the year in which many travelers made up for the pandemic-related closures of the previous year that had thwarted many vacationers’ plans. Yellowstone National Park was by no means exempt from this madness.

But the park shows no signs of slowing down as numbers continue to climb in the home stretch of peak tourist season. The National Park Service just released its 2024 numbers through July 31.

Yellowstone hosted 992,352 recreational visits in July 2024. That’s 2% more than July 2023 (969,692 recreational visits), but still 8% less than July 2021 (1,080,767 recreational visits).

So far in 2024, the park has recorded 2,626,091 recreational visits, 7% more than in 2023 (2,462,535 recreational visits) and 2% less than in 2021 (2,668,765 recreational visits).

Yellowstone National Park

Image courtesy of YNP.GOV

The following list shows the development of leisure visits in recent years up to and including July:

2024 – 2,626,091

2023 – 2,462,535

2022 – 1,855,396 – The park was closed from June 13 to 21 (remember the historic floods?). Three of the entrances were closed on June 22nd.

2021 – 2,668,765

2020 – 1,674,699 – The park was closed from March 24 to May 17 due to COVID. Two entrances opened on May 18 and the remaining three on June 1.

2019 – 2,294,691

Whether it’s peak season or you prefer a quieter time of year, you’re always encouraged to take the Yellowstone Pledge. Like every year, 2024 saw a number of careless decisions made by tourists. Protect yourself and the park!

You can find more interesting data on how the National Park Service calculates park visitor numbers here. There is still a lot of peak season left until 2024 and an annual record is not impossible.

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