Yellowstone Visits Up 24%

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park has seen about 24 percent more visitors January through May of this year compared to the same time period in 2014.

The National Park Service says some of that increase could be attributed to a new after-hours counter at the park's West Entrance. But it also credits a mild winter and early spring for drawing more people to the park. Yellowstone has recorded more than 515,000 recreational visits so far through May this year.

That compares to about 415,000 for January through May 2014. July is typically the park's peak visitation month, followed by August, June, September and May.