Yellowstone Sees Busiest August Ever – Over 900,000 Visits

The record-breaking year at Yellowstone National Park continues as August 2021 sees over 900,000 visits – the highest August numbers in the park’s history.

Officials at Yellowstone National Park released the visitation statistics for August 2021. Once again, they’re staggering.

Yellowstone has been busier than ever as people flock to the national parks as a refuge from COVID-19. This year, park officials have reported the busiest April, May, June, and July in the park’s history. There were over one million visits in July alone – the single busiest month in Yellowstone’s history.

Now, August 2021 joins the record books.

In August 2021, Yellowstone National Park hosted 921,844 recreation visits – a 4.5% increase from August 2020 and a 12% increase from August 2019.

It was a close race for “Yellowstone’s busiest August.” According to the numbers, August 2021 beat August 2017 by only 5,000 visits. August 2017 was the year a total solar eclipse passed over the park.

August 2020 saw 881,829 recreational visits and August 2019 saw 820,006 recreation visits.

Courtesy Jacob W. Frank and National Park Service

But the numbers get even more impressive when looking at the year-to-date visitation – nearly 3.6 million recreation visits.

Once again, 2021 leads the way by a significant margin. 3.6 million visits is up 40% from the same period in 2020 and up 15% from 2019.

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

• 2021 – 3,590,904
• 2020 – 2,556,528*
• 2019 – 3,114,697
• 2018 – 3,136,241
• 2017 – 3,232,707
• 2016 – 3,269,024

*Park officials have been discouraging the use of 2020 as a reliable comparison. Yellowstone was closed March 24 – May 18, 2020, due to COVID-19. The Wyoming entrances were open May 18-31, followed by the Montana entrances on June 1.

With more record-breaking months in the books, the question must be asked: what will Fall 2021 look like in Yellowstone?

In the midst of its busiest calendar year, Yellowstone is closing in on its busiest year interval. Once health orders and travel restrictions were lifted last year, the park experienced its busiest September and October in 2020.

Furthermore, will these numbers be broken in 2022 – the 150th anniversary of the creation of Yellowstone National Park in 1872.

Only time – and millions of future tourists – will tell . . .