Flood and Closure Contributed To Decline In Yellowstone Visitation

Above, Lower Yellowstone Fall. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The following really should not come as a surprise to anyone paying attention.

The June 13 flooding of Yellowstone National Park and the resulting closure led to a decrrease in overall visitation to the park.

According to the Idaho Statesman:

Historic flooding and park closures have contributed to a 20% decrease in visitors to Yellowstone National Park through the first seven months of 2022. 

In June, 536,601 people visited Yellowstone National Park, which represents a 43% decrease from the record 938,845 people who visited during June 2021, according to a press release from Yellowstone National Park. June 2021 was the busiest June on record in terms of visitors, Yellowstone officials said.

Overall, year-to-date park visitation for 2022 was also down compared to 2021. Through the end of June, 1,268,053 people visited Yellowstone National Park, which is a decrease of 20% compared to the corresponding time period from 2021, park officials said.

Could it be that the excessively high gasoline prices had something to do with the overall decline?

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