Yellowstone Park sets record for 2009 visitation

The unimpressive economy of 2009 may have had an impressive impact on people looking for affordable vacations. Yellowstone National park has announced that it set a record on the number of visitors to the park during the year.

RV Business reports that nearly 3.3 million visitors entered the park during 2009, which was 7.5 percent more than the previous year and 3.6 percent more than the previous record set in 2007.

Although visitation rates got off to a slow start, park officials say that traffic increased over the summer months.

The park's west entrance continues to be the busiest point of entry. More than 1.3 million people entered using it last year. The northeast entrance is the only one that is open to wheeled traffic year-round.

The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds says the economy hasn't hurt the camping business overall. In fact, many families may be turning to camping for family vacations to save money over other types of trips. A recent study found that typical RV vacations are up to 75 percent less expensive per day than any other type of family trip, regardless of trip duration, distance, or location.