Jackson Hole Daily | Yellowstone visits soar

Jackson Hole Daily | Yellowstone visits soar

By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

September 9, 2010

Yellowstone National Park smashed yet another monthly visitation record in August, putting the park on track to break the all-time visitation record in 2010.

Park officials say 854,837 recreation visitors entered Yellowstone last month, compared to the previous record of 773,307 set in 1995, an increase of 9.5 percent. Compared to August, 2009, which saw 752,983 recreation visits, the park saw a 13 percent jump.

The park also set records in June and July, and has hosted 2.8 million people so far this year, an increase of 8 percent over 2009’s year-to-date total. Last year was an all-time record for the park, and Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said he thinks that record will be broken again.

“If we have an average September we’ll break our all-time visitation record,” he said. “It certainly has been a big summer any way you look at the numbers.”

The South Entrance, which serves people going into Yellowstone from Grand Teton National Park and the Jackson Hole area, was up 11 percent for August, and is up nearly 6 percent year-to-date compared to last year.

While the visitors are welcome, Nash said the crowds have taken a toll on park and concession workers.

“Our staff, to an individual, will tell you that this has been a challenging summer,” he said. “More visitors do mean more demand on services.

“Our visitor centers are busier; our law enforcement rangers have responded to more traffic accidents,” Nash continued. “Visitors are likely to have found longer lines at entrance stations. We’re certainly doing our best to respond, but everybody has been very busy.”

Visitors this summer needed to plan earlier to find campsites and hotel rooms, Nash said.

Several factors have likely contributed to the increase in visitation, including the troubled economy.

“You can be more flexible and stretch your money further planning a trip to this area focused on Yellowstone and Grand Teton than you can by taking many other vacation trips,” Nash said.

Marketing efforts by the states and by the park’s gateway communities have also probably helped, along with the Ken Burns documentary on parks featured on public television, Nash said.

“We know we’re a draw,” Nash said, but gateway communities are key partners.