Yellowstone reports 4.76 million visitors in 2025, second-busiest year on record

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — It was another extremely busy year at Yellowstone National Park (YNP), and for the National Park Service (NPS) overall.

According to a Tuesday announcement by the park, 4,762,988 recreation visits were logged in 2025, marking the second-busiest year for visitation since the post-pandemic boom of 2021, which saw 4,860,242 visits.

“Despite a 43-day partial government shutdown – the longest ever – the National Park Service worked to keep parks open and accessible whenever possible so visitors could continue to experience the nation’s natural and historic treasures,” YNP’s announcement states.

Last year saw 1,238,983 overnight stays in the park, too.

The NPS statistics portal includes visitation data at Yellowstone dating back to 1904; since then, the park has welcomed a recorded 213,257,451 recreation visits. In 2024, YNP reported 4,744,353 visits, preceded by 4,501,382 visits in 2023.

Grand Teton National Park also saw its second-busiest year on record, notching 3,800,648 recreation visits in 2025. This stands second only to 2021, when GTNP saw 3,885,230 recreation visits. In 2024, the total was 3,628,222. Since 1929, the park’s total visitation is recorded as 178,939,234.

Numbers for both parks have been slightly adjusted since preliminary 2025 data was made public in January.

According to NPS, 23 parks set new visitation records in 2025.

“America’s national parks continue to be places where people come to experience our country’s history, landscapes and shared heritage,” NPS Comptroller Jessica Bowron said in a Friday press release. “We are committed to keeping parks open, accessible and well-managed so visitors can safely enjoy these extraordinary places today and for generations to come.”

NPS also shared a list of the top 10 parks as measured by 2025 recreation visits: