MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park released data on recreational visits for May 2021.

According to the park, 483,159 recreational visitors passed through the park in May. This is an 11% increase from May 2019 recreation visits of 434,385 visitors.

This was the park’s most visited May on record.

In May of 2020, the park was closed from May 1 through May 18. Two of the park’s five entrances were open from May 18 through May 31.

So far in 2021, the park has hosted 658,513 recreation visits, up 14% from 2019.

The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years in May:

2021 –  658,513
2020 –  145,849
2019 –  576,776
2018 –  570,823
2017 –  550,486
2016 –  593,755
Summer is Yellowstone’s busiest season.

Lindsay is a contributing reporter covering a little bit of everything; with an interest in local policies and politics, the environment and amplifying community voices. She's curious about uncovering the "whys" of our region and aims to inform the community about the issues that matter. In her free time, you can find her snowboarding, cooking or planning the next surf trip.