Eclipsed: Another month, another record falls in Yellowstone
August 2021 busiest in park's history
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Remember August 2017 when the whole world came to Yellowstone to watch the Total Solar Eclipse? Well, this past August in Yellowstone makes that August in Yellowstone look like a ghost town.
The nation’s first national park today released statistics showing 921,844 recreation visits in August 2021, making it the most-visited August on record. It’s a 4.5% increase over August 2020 (881,829 recreational visits) and a 12% increase from August 2019 (820,006 recreation visits).
Previously, the busiest August on record was in 2017, the year of the solar eclipse (916,166 recreation visits).
The park continues to break visitation records with each passing month. So far in 2021, the park has hosted 3,590,904 recreation visits, up 40% from the same period last year and up 15% from 2019.
Year-to-date trend for recreation visits over the last several years (through August):
- 2021 – 3,590,904
- 2020 – 2,556,528*
- 2019 – 3,114,697
- 2018 – 3,136,241
- 2017 – 3,232,707
- 2016 – 3,269,024
