As of the end of September, Yellowstone just broke the record for single year visits with a reported 3.8 million visitors this year reports the Casper Star Tribune.
That number surpassed the 2010 record by nearly 5%, which saw a staggering 3.6 million visitors enter the gates of Yellowstone National Park over the course of that year. However, so many visitors begs the question, ‘are such large crowds good for the wild places and iconic settings of our National Parks System?’
While people are already debating this heated subject, it’s being noted that violent encounters with wildlife have been increasing steadily throughout the last few years, especially with the onset of selfies and social media.
Read: Bison Attacks Tourist Taking A Selfie With It
However, lower gas prices and the centennial celebrations of the National Parks System have encouraged large numbers of Americans to make cross-country trips to our national parks. Nowhere is that more evident than the country’s most popular park, Yellowstone. As of now it looks as though the park will break the 4 million visitor benchmark by year’s end as long as no rogue early season snow storms hamper visitation to the park. That said, revenue streams from this year should come in at an all time high.
In 2014, visitors to the park coughed up roughly $419 million dollars and with record crowds this year, that number should be even higher.
