Economic Times Impacts Yellowstone National Park Visits

Tough economic times may have had an impact on the number of people who visited Yellowstone National Park this winter.

Preliminary figures show the total number of visitors to the park for December 2008 through March 2009 was 86,793, down 13.2 percent from the 99,975 visitors recorded for the previous winter season.

An average of 205 snowmobiles and 29 snowcoaches a day entered the park during winter 2008-2009, compared to an average of 294 snowmobiles and 35 snowcoaches a day during winter 2007-2008.

The number of people driving through the park's North Entrance from December through March totaled 47,259; down slightly from 50,175 the previous year.