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Yellowstone sets September and year-over-year attendance records

October 14, 2021
Henry

(CNN) – Yellowstone National Park has done it again.

That number is 872,695 recreational trips, a National Park Service news release said Tuesday. This is an increase of 4% from September 2020.

Perhaps even more remarkable is the record number of visitors year-over-year.

So far in 2021, Yellowstone has seen 4,463,599 entertainment visits, up 32% from the same period in 2020. Looks like the entire state of Oregon has visited Yellowstone and invited over 200,000 friends.

The NPS said it is the first time the park has crossed the 4-million-visitor mark earlier this year, even before the pandemic.

busy busy busy

“In the history of Yellowstone, we have never seen such a large increase in numbers in such a short period of time,” Superintendent Cam Shawley said in a news release.

“We will continue to work with our teams and partners to develop and implement suitable short- and long-term actions to manage increased visitation across the park.”

The influx of visitors is forcing Arches National Park in Utah to temporarily close its gates almost daily. And frustrated visitors aren’t the only result of overcrowding. The National Park Service is forecasting one of its busiest summers on record, so Arch won’t be the only popular park where crowds can be an issue. CNN’s Lucy Kafanov reports.

The announcement comes as no surprise to those who have been part of the giant waves trying to gain access to popular national parks for months.

Even in October, Arches still warns potential visitors That “parking lots at trailheads can fill up before 9 a.m., allowing the park to temporarily restrict access until overcrowding subsides.” Its website said restricted access could last three to five hours.

Lots of people, lots of wildlife

You shouldn’t count on overcrowding in national parks for autumn, the NPS has previously warned, as people are flocking to outdoor spaces after so much time indoors during the pandemic.

If you plan to enjoy Yellowstone, the NPS recommends planning ahead of time and being prepared to share the place with other travelers.

More people means more potential wildlife encounters, even worse. The NPS says to keep a minimum of 25 yards (23 m) from all wildlife and 100 yards (91 m) from bears and wolves.

NPS takes this warning seriously. Last week, a 25-year-old woman was sentenced to four days in federal custody and fined heavily being too close to a grizzly bear and his cubs.

be prepared for the weather

You also need to be prepared for all kinds of weather in Yellowstone at this time of year. Eventually, it is located in northwestern Wyoming and reaches into a bit of Idaho and Montana.

“Snow is common in the spring and falls with a regular accumulation of 12 inches,” the NPS says.

Indeed, the park’s temperature was a shocking 20 degrees Fahrenheit (about -7 Celsius) at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday local time.

Top image: Crowds gather for the Old Faithful geyser eruption one afternoon in September 2021.

CNN’s Andy Rose contributed to this report.

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