Millions Visit Yellowstone Each Year But See Less Than 10 Percent

Visiting Yellowstone National Park is a bucket list item for many people around the world. 1948 was the first year that over 1 million people passed through the gates, and since then, there's never been fewer than 1 million people per year.

That puts the total number of recreational visits somewhere between 213 and 214 million since 1904.

Experts believe that, of those visits, 90 to 99% of the park was missed. The reason is that most visitors stick to the roads and never see parts of the backcountry. There's nothing wrong with that, because when you stick to the roads, you're able to see the attractions that appeal to people to come to the park. All of which are fantastic and definite must-see features.

• Wildlife
• Old Faithful
• Grand Prismatic Springs
• Mammoth Hot Springs
• Lamar and Hayden Valley
• The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River

There are many reasons people stick to the main attractions; again, those aren't bad options, but physical ability and time are the top two reasons. It's tough and time-consuming to take off on a backcountry hike. Most visitors are on summer vacation, have only a couple of days to explore, and want to take in as much as they can.

Again, Yellowstone National Park is a bucket list trip.

Social media isn't always the best thing, since people can be so cruel, but in this case, it's a great resource for finding ways to see as much of Yellowstone as you can.

From the air.

There are quite a few companies, like Fly Yellowstone and Yellowstone Helicopters, that offer aerial tours over the park.

The video I found on Instagram really drove home the point that, even though the park is great from the ground, you can see so much more from the air. The pilot, who goes by 'flywithchrisg' on Instagram, posted a reel of his flight high above the country's first National Park, and it's cool enough to have you add an aerial tour to your next trip.

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