Yellowstone National Park sets the record for August visits

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(CNN) – With health experts guiding travelers to destinations and outdoor activities during the pandemic, U.S. national parks have been a natural magnet. More tests were obtained on Tuesday.

Yellowstone National Park set a record for visits in August, the National Parks Service reported in a press release.

The park hosted 921,844 recreational visits last month, the equivalent of almost the entire population of Austin, Texas, who visited there. And it was an increase of 4.5% compared to August 2020.

Park officials say the previous August record was set in 2017, when people flocked to Yellowstone to witness that year’s epic solar eclipse.

At the end of August this year, Yellowstone recorded 3,590,904 visits.

It is well on its way to an annual record and a 40% increase over 2020, when the park was affected by pandemic travel restrictions and closed briefly.

Busy all summer

An influx of visitors forces Arches National Park in Utah to temporarily close its doors almost daily. And disappointed visitors are not the only consequence of overcrowding. The National Park Service anticipates one of the busiest summers on record, so Arches won’t be the only popular park where people could be a problem. Lucy Kafanov of CNN reports.

This news is no surprise to people who have been part of the huge waves trying to gain access to popular national parks all summer.

In fact, Arches still warns potential visitors that “parking lots at the head of the track may fill up before 9 a.m., causing the park to temporarily restrict access until congestion decreases.” Their website states that restricted access can take three to five hours.

Outlook for the fall

The National Park Service says you shouldn’t expect crowds to shrink too much for the fall either.

If you plan to enjoy Yellowstone this fall, the NPS said you should make plans well in advance and be ready to share the space with other travelers. Here are some things to keep in mind when planning a trip to Yellowstone or other national parks:

– Most camping and accommodation reservations are already made and the motel spaces could be within hours.

– Also, it has been a very dry season in the West. Be alert to news of wildfires as you plan your trip. Also take care of your bonfires.

– More people means that there are more possible wildlife encounters that have gone wrong. The NPS says it maintains a minimum of 25 meters (23 meters) of all wildlife and 100 meters (91 meters) of bears and wolves.

Top image: Tourists watch Old Faithful explode in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming last spring. (Kayla Renie / Jackson Hole News & Guide via AP)

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