100 Years in Yellowstone – Then and Now
A lot has changed.
The National Park Service celebrated its 100th birthday in 2016. In the years since the NPS took over park management, Yellowstone National Park has changed profoundly. Here’s how things looked in 1916 compared to 2020, four years after the park service turned 100.
Number of Visitors
| 2020 | 1916 |
| 3.8 million park visitors |
35,849 park visitors |
Train Stations
| 2020 | 1916 |
| 0 train stations at entrance towns |
5 train stations, the closest being Gardiner and West Yellowstone |
Cost of Hotel
| 2020 | 1916 |
| $229 for a standard hotel room in Old Faithful Inn |
$50 for an all-inclusive 5.25-day package that included lodging, meals and stagecoach tours |
Park Roads
| 2020 | 1916 |
| 310 miles of paved roads |
0 miles of paved roads |
Entrance Fees
| 2020 | 1916 |
| $35 park entrance fee |
$5-10 park entrance fee, depending on the number of seats in your car |
Park Rangers
| 2020 | 1916 |
| 738 park rangers |
~25 park rangers |
Park Lodges
| 2020 | 1916 |
| 9 park lodges |
8 park lodges |
Number of Months Open to Visitors
| 2020 | 1916 |
| 12 months open to park visitors |
2.5 months open to park visitors (June 15-Sept. 1) |
Number of National Park Sites
| 2016 | 1916 |
| 410 national park sites across the nation |
30 national park sites across the nation |
Number of Wolves in the Park
| 2020 | 1916 |
| ~94 wolves in the park |
Darn-near 0 wolves in the park, according to park historian Lee Whittlesey |