Tejal Somvanshi
The trails and viewpoints of America’s first national park filled with 881,936 recreation visits during August 2025, according to fresh data from the National Park Service (NPS). That’s a 2% bump from last August’s count of 868,259 people exploring the geysers, hot springs, and wildlife-rich valleys of Yellowstone.
While impressive, August’s visitor count hasn’t topped the park’s busiest-ever August from 2021, when 921,844 people wandered Yellowstone’s 2.2 million acres. Park visitation continues its steady recovery since the challenging seasons of recent years.
The year-to-date total has reached 3,547,967 visits through August 2025, outpacing last year’s pace by approximately 53,600 visitors. August typically ranks as the second-busiest month in Yellowstone’s annual cycle, just behind July’s peak numbers.
Several current alerts might impact your Yellowstone experience:
The NPS issued a news release on July 11, 2025, announcing that effective July 12, 2025, the Madison, Firehole, and Gibbon Rivers to fishing would close due to low flows and warm water temperatures. These fishing closures remain in effect to protect stressed aquatic ecosystems.
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Visitors should also be aware that the Biscuit Basin area continues its closure following a July 23, 2024 hydrothermal explosion. The unstable thermal ground makes this a necessary safety precaution.
This August’s numbers exceed the pre-pandemic baseline – the 2014-2018 average for August was 839,787 visits. The current visitation sits comfortably above this five-year average while still showing the seasonal patterns typical for late summer.
The 2022 season saw dramatic drops when June flooding damaged roads and infrastructure, temporarily closing all entrances and keeping the northern loop closed for weeks. Similarly, 2020’s numbers dropped during phased COVID-19 reopenings.
The NPS recommends checking real-time entrance wait times and road conditions before setting out. Early morning or late afternoon entry typically means shorter lines at entrance stations.
“We protect park resources from visitation impacts” and “We work to reduce visitation impacts to staffing, operations, and infrastructure,” per NPS Visitor Use Management information. NPS says closures at thermal areas and fishing restrictions are management actions to protect resources and visitor safety.
Communities surrounding Yellowstone in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho provide lodging, dining, and services that support the regional tourism economy.
The August 2025 visitor count was reported at 881,936 recreation visits. This represents a 2% increase from August 2024, while remaining 4% below the August 2021 record. The year-to-date total stands at 3,547,967 visits. The NPS makes these statistics available through their official channels, with public affairs contact available at (307) 344-2015.
