Yellowstone National Park (YNP) says September visits in 2022 dropped below levels not seen since September 2019, the year before COVID.
YNP reported 567,587 recreation visits in September of this year, down from 882,078 visits in September 2021—which set the record as the most-visited September in the park's history.
This year's total was also lower than September 2019, the year before COVID, during which YNP hosted 693,118 recreational visits.
All entrances to Yellowstone were closed on June 13, 2022 due to historic flooding. The East, South, and West entrances to the park reopened on a limited basis on June 22, with all restrictions lifted on those entrances on July 2.
The North and Northeast entrances remained closed to visitor vehicles through September. On Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, the Northeast entrance reopened to visitor traffic.
MTN EXCLUSIVE: See repairs along the road from Northeast Entrance to Tower
The North entrance remains closed for repairs to the North Entrance Road, large sections of which were washed away in the June flooding. YNP has set Nov. 1 as the reopening date for North entrance visitor vehicle access.
For all of 2022 so far, Yellowstone has hosted 3,014,569 recreation visits, which is a 32 percent decrease from this time last year.
For updated information on what is open and closed in Yellowstone National Park, visit the park's "Plan Your Visit" page.
