West Yellowstone Draws Nearly 4 Million Visitors Yearly

Montana receives around 13 million visitors each year. Locals in the more popular areas are prone to complain about these "tourons" who crowd our streets, do dumb stuff in our parks, catch our fish, shoot our elk, etc., but without these visitors, Montana would lose about $5.6 billion in economic activity.

The folks at Montana's Best TV recently shared a social media post ranking the five cities with the most annual visitors, and I found the numbers interesting. In fact, I was a little surprised by two that made the list.

West Yellowstone: 3,932,000 visitors.

It's not shocking that this gateway to Yellowstone National Park landed at the top of the list.

Missoula: 1,287,000 visitors.

As a popular launching point for tourists heading to Glacier National Park, it makes sense that over one million people visit Missoula annually.

a body of water surrounded by trees and clouds — Photo by Lily Miller on Unsplash

Kalispell: 1,024,000 visitors

Flathead Lake and the surrounding area have some of the most scenic country in Montana. Like Missoula, Kalispell is often a springboard into Glacier, so it's not surprising that it's the 3rd most-visited city in Montana.

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brown and red concrete building under blue sky during daytime — Photo by Steven Cordes on Unsplash

Helena: 678,000 visitors

Here's where the list takes an interesting turn, in my opinion. Yes, Helena is a fun city to visit, but it doesn't seem like much of a destination. "Hey, let's go to Helena for the weekend!" is not something you hear very often.

Butte: 530,000 visitors

I like Butte. Butte is loaded with interesting Montana history. It's a mile high at 5,285 ft. elevation, and a web of mine shafts under the city goes a mile deep. It's famous for its pork chop sandwich. But... Butte? The Top 5 Most Visited City in Montana?

Furthermore, how in the world did Bozeman not land on this list? Surely more people visit Bozeman than Butte and Helena combined.

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