Yellowstone has busiest October on record

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. (KIFI/KIDK) - Yellowstone National Park hosted 360,034 recreation visits in October 2020.

That is up 110% from October 2019.

This was the busiest October on record, surpassing the previous record of 252,013 set in 2015 by an increase of 43%.

So far in 2020, the park has hosted 3,743,907 recreation visits, down 6% from the same period last year.

The park was closed due to health and safety reasons related to COVID-19 beginning March 24, 2020. Two Wyoming entrances opened on May 18 and three Montana entrances opened on June 1, 2020. All five entrances have been open since June 1.

The list below shows the year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through October):

• 2020 – 3,743,907
• 2019 – 3,979,153
• 2018 – 4,078,771
• 2017 – 4,084,762
• 2016 – 4,212,782
• 2015 – 4,066,191

All roads in Yellowstone, with one exception, are closed to automobile traffic from early November to late April. The road from the park’s North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through Mammoth Hot Springs to the Northeast Entrance and the communities of Cooke City and Silver Gate, Montana, is open year-round, weather-permitting.

Conditions permitting, most park roads will open to oversnow travel (snowmobiles and snowcoaches) on December 15, 2020.