Yellowstone National Park had a record-breaking start to the summer season, with the busiest May on record for visitors. According to Yellowstone officials, the park hosted 446,875 visits in May 2018, marking an increase of more than 6 percent increase over last year, which had 419,635 visits. It also surpasses the 444,630 visits in May 2016 as the busiest May ever in Yellowstone.

So far in 2018, the park has hosted 570,823 visits, up 3.5 percent from the same period last year. Year-to-date visitation in 2018 is 37 percent higher than five years ago in 2014.

Trend For Past Five Years: Year-To-Date Recreation Visits (through May)

  • 2018 - 570,823
  • 2017 - 550,486
  • 2016 - 593,755
  • 2015 - 518,087
  • 2014 - 415,185

Park officials say the continued high visitation numbers underscores the importance of planning ahead of time if you're headed for Yellowstone. Visitors should anticipate delays or limited parking at popular destinations, and check road conditions on the Yellowstone National Park website before arriving.

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