Yellowstone visits hit 6-year low

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (KIFI/KIDK)-Tourism numbers continued to decline at Yellowstone National Park in October.

The National Park Service said Yellowstone hosted 170,038 visitors in October, a 22% decrease from October 2018.

So far, in 2019, the park has seen 3,977,852 visits, which is down 2.5% from year-ago numbers.

Some entrance stations and park roads were temporarily closed throughout October. Park officials believe that may have contributed to the decrease in visitation.

It is the lowest annual visitation in six years.

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

2019 – 3,977,852
2018 – 4,078,770
2017 – 4,084,763
2016 – 4,212,782
2015 – 4,066,191
2014 – 3,483,608