How many people visit Isle Royale National Park each year?

29,091 recreation visits in 2025, ranking #60 of the 63 national parks. The 2010s averaged 20,324 a year.

What was Isle Royale's busiest year?

1987, with 31,760 recreation visits — +9.2% more than 2025. The single busiest month on record was August 1987 (10,861 visits).

Is Isle Royale getting more crowded?

2025 visits were +55.7% compared with 2015 and +67.2% compared with 2005. The low point of recent years was 2020 (6,493).

What counts as a recreation visit?

The NPS counts a recreation visit as one person entering the park for recreation; someone who leaves and re-enters is counted again, and commuters, through-traffic and staff are excluded. Counts come from gate and traffic counters with park-specific multipliers, so they are estimates.

Visitor statistics

How many people visit Isle Royale?

Last verified October 5, 2026NPS Visitor Use Statistics1979–2025

29,091 recreation visits in 2025, #60 of 63 national parks. The record is 1987 (31,760). Every year since 1979, straight from the National Park Service’s own counts.

Aerial View of Belle Harbor — Photo: NPS Photo / Paul Brown

2025 visits: 29,091; +1.0% vs 2024
Rank, 2025: #60; of 63 national parks
Record year: 1987; 31,760 visits
vs 2015: +55.7%; ten-year change
vs 1979: +96.8%; since the first full year
Busiest month ever: Aug 1987; 10,861 visits

1979–2025

Every year since the counts began

Recreation visits per calendar year, as reported to the NPS Visitor Use Statistics office. The 2025 bar is highlighted; a missing bar means the park did not report all twelve months that year.

Show the full table (47 years) ↓

Year	Recreation visits	Change	Rank
2025	29,091	+1.0%	#60
2024	28,806	−0.5%	#58
2023	28,965	+13.8%	#59
2022	25,454	−1.5%	#59
2021	25,844	+298.0%	#57
2020	6,493	−75.4%	#59
2019	26,410	+2.4%	#60
2018	25,798	−8.5%	#60
2017	28,196	+12.9%	#60
2016	24,966	+33.6%	#60
2015	18,684	+28.3%	#59
2014	14,560	−10.5%	#60
2013	16,274	−2.3%	#61
2012	16,663	+4.9%	#60
2011	15,892	+0.6%	#59
2010	15,793	+7.8%	#59
2009	14,653	+4.4%	#59
2008	14,038	−12.1%	#58
2007	15,973	−6.4%	#59
2006	17,070	−1.9%	#59
2005	17,398	+0.7%	#58
2004	17,276	−2.9%	#58
2003	17,800	−8.5%	#59
2002	19,463	+0.2%	#59
2001	19,431	−7.9%	#59
2000	21,096	−10.2%	#59
1999	23,493	−1.8%	#58
1998	23,932	+11.9%	#59
1997	21,381	−8.8%	#58
1996	23,445	−0.1%	#58
1995	23,470	−5.5%	#58
1994	24,843	+13.0%	#57
1993	21,983	−3.3%	#57
1992	22,728	+3.3%	#57
1991	22,004	−6.3%	#58
1990	23,495	−13.4%	#57
1989	27,133	+2.0%	#57
1988	26,593	−16.3%	#57
1987	31,760	+21.6%	#56
1986	26,122	+55.7%	#57
1985	16,775	+42.0%	#57
1984	11,814	−8.6%	#59
1983	12,928	−2.3%	#55
1982	13,238	−9.1%	#56
1981	14,558	−2.8%	#53
1980	14,977	+1.3%	#53
1979	14,782	—	#53

By decade

The long view

1970s: 14,782; avg · 1 yr
1980s: 19,590; avg · 10 yrs
1990s: 23,077; avg · 10 yrs
2000s: 17,420; avg · 10 yrs
2010s: 20,324; avg · 10 yrs
2020s: 24,109; avg · 6 yrs

Seasonality: in 1979–1983 the three busiest months carried 89% of the year’s visits; in 2021–2025 they carried 82% — visits have spread out across the year.

Average visits by month

2021–2025 · NPS IRMA

JFMAMJJASOND

Quietest: JanuaryBusiest: August

The weather page puts these crowd levels beside each month’s temperatures.

About these numbers

Figures are the National Park Service’s monthly recreation-visit counts, retrieved from its public statistics service and summed by calendar year. A year is shown only when all twelve months were reported. The NPS revises recent months occasionally, so small differences from a later nps.gov table are normal. Rankings compare the 63 national parks for the same year. See every park ranked for 2025.

Sources · 2

1.NPS Visitor Use Statistics — monthly recreation visits by park, 1979–2025 · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
2.NPS Visitor Use Statistics Definitions · National Park Service

FAQ

Isle Royale visitor questions

How many people visit Isle Royale National Park each year?: 29,091 recreation visits in 2025, ranking #60 of the 63 national parks. The 2010s averaged 20,324 a year.
What was Isle Royale's busiest year?: 1987, with 31,760 recreation visits — +9.2% more than 2025. The single busiest month on record was August 1987 (10,861 visits).
Is Isle Royale getting more crowded?: 2025 visits were +55.7% compared with 2015 and +67.2% compared with 2005. The low point of recent years was 2020 (6,493).
What counts as a recreation visit?: The NPS counts a recreation visit as one person entering the park for recreation; someone who leaves and re-enters is counted again, and commuters, through-traffic and staff are excluded. Counts come from gate and traffic counters with park-specific multipliers, so they are estimates.

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