Yellowstone visitor numbers down so far this year

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. • The number of people visiting Yellowstone National Park is down substantially so far this year compared to last year's record numbers.

The park reports visitor numbers are down more than 11 percent from January through May compared to the same period last year.

A record 3.6 million people visited Yellowstone all last year. Yellowstone's peak season is yet to come: Typically as many people visit in the first two weeks in July as during the first five months of the year.

Yellowstone has been unusually snowy this spring. The number of visitors to the park last month was about 218,000, down nearly 13 percent from May 2010.