Yellowstone sees another month of record tourism

Record numbers of visitors continued to flood Yellowstone National Park in September despite burning wildfires and a temporary gate closure.

Yellowstone visitation increased by 3.17 percent in September compared to last year, and overall visitation to the park is up 4.1 percent over the first eight months.

That’s a total of 3.9 million tourists so far this year.

The 2015 season set a record for visitation at the nation’s first national park, and that is expected to be topped this year. Park officials say the National Park Service’s centennial year; marketing and tourism promotions by the states of Montana and Wyoming; and lower gas prices contributed to the increased tourism.