Yellowstone visitation higher in July, but still down overall

YELLOWSTONE NAT’L PARK (AP) — Park officials say visitation to Yellowstone National Park has increased substantially.

Visitation rates were higher in July than they were in the same month last year, with nearly 955,600 visitors, up about 2% from July 2019. This comes after the park’s overall visits had originally been down 49% from last year through the end of June.

The influx of visitors occurred despite the fact that campsites and hotels inside Yellowstone have drastically reduced their capacity.

The Billings Gazette reports visitors have used surrounding national forest campgrounds or lodging in bordering gateway communities for shelter.

The park was closed from March 24 to May 18 due the coronavirus pandemic. Wyoming entrances re-opened in May and the Montana entrances re-opened on June 1.

Source: The Billings (Mont.) Gazette