Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park brings in a significant amount of tourism to the Gallatin Valley, especially during the summer months. While the area gained even more attention and popularity from the show of the same name, the national park has been a big draw for over 100 years!

According to the National Parks Service, tourist spent over $623 million in the communities around the park in 2023. With the jobs supported from these funds they estimate a total impact of over $828 million. This is an incredible influx of money into the area! While the majority of the park sits in Wyoming, it also sits in Montana and Idaho. Near each of the Montana entrances to the park sits a small town that rely on the annual tourism; these include Gardiner and West Yellowstone.

The Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (which is located in Belgrade, MT)  is arguably one of the best commercial airports to fly into to access the park, which means that the Gallatin Valley and Bozeman in particular also see a vast majority of the visitors to Yellowstone National Park.

Where are the park visitors spending their money? They are spending it of course for their lodging and transportation. Even with all the new hotels going up in the area the demand for rooms remains strong and keeps prices up during the summer months. Most tourists get rental cars so they can explore more of our areas and drive through the park.

They are also spending money in all our local shops and restaurants! Especially in our downtown area you’ll find tons of tourists walking around, eating out restaurants and buying goods from our local shops and boutiques. We are fortunate to have strong downtown businesses that offer an array of goods and services. Two of the more popular places with our visitors is Head West Bozeman and the new Lucchese store. They both offer western wear and boots, which visitors love to purchase as memorabilia from their trip out west!

What’s the big draw to see Yellowstone National Park? Other than the fact that it’s the nation’s oldest national park (established in 1872), it is remarkably beautiful and offers great wildlife viewing. There are other unique attractions such as the geysers, most famously “Old Faithful”, which erupts roughly every 90 minutes, giving it it’s name.

Buffalo (or Bison) are the most commonly seen animals when you drive through the park. Other possibilities include deer, elk, moose, coyotes, wolves, eagles and more! Going through in the spring time can be really fun because you’ll likely get to see some baby animals.

Please remember that these animals are in fact wild, meaning don’t approach them under any circumstances! Also stay along marked paths – the paths are there for your safety since there are lots of natural hot springs throughout the park. These hot springs can have extremely high and dangerous temperatures. I don’t want you to make the local news for getting hurt in the park!

Please consider visiting Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding areas. Despite my warnings above it’s an incredible place to visit and explore. Even the travel between towns are scenic with majestic mountain views. If you want any specific recommendations for travel in the area please don’t hesitate to reach out!