Badlands by the year.
Each point is the park's total recreation visits for that calendar year, drawn from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025 (Statistic = TRV, summed from monthly to annual). The full 1979-2025 history is shown: 47 years. The line traces the long-run shape; the orange dot marks the peak year and the teal dot marks the lowest. The table below carries every year's exact count and its year-over-year change.
| Year | Recreation visits | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 858,000 | |
| 1980 | 952,652 | +11.0% |
| 1981 | 1,175,952 | +23.4% |
| 1982 | 1,030,484 | -12.4% |
| 1983 | 1,026,981 | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 1,113,675 | +8.4% |
| 1985 | 950,242 | -14.7% |
| 1986 | 1,025,630 | +7.9% |
| 1987 | 1,174,398 | +14.5% |
| 1988 | 1,110,040 | -5.5% |
| 1989 | 1,237,956 | +11.5% |
| 1990 | 1,326,475 | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 1,518,396 | +14.5% |
| 1992 | 1,205,297 | -20.6% |
| 1993 | 1,179,458 | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 1,130,459 | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 1,075,569 | -4.9% |
| 1996 | 1,024,705 | -4.7% |
| 1997 | 970,696 | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 1,021,049 | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 950,453 | -6.9% |
| 2000 | 1,105,824 | +16.3% |
| 2001 | 955,469 | -13.6% |
| 2002 | 908,898 | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 871,034 | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 936,030 | +7.5% |
| 2005 | 909,146 | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 840,118 | -7.6% |
| 2007 | 886,654 | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 845,734 | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 933,918 | +10.4% |
| 2010 | 977,778 | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 870,741 | -10.9% |
| 2012 | 883,406 | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 892,372 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 868,094 | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 989,354 | +14.0% |
| 2016 | 996,263 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 1,054,325 | +5.8% |
| 2018 | 1,008,942 | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 970,998 | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 916,932 | -5.6% |
| 2021 | 1,224,226 | +33.5% |
| 2022 | 1,006,809 | -17.8% |
| 2023 | 1,046,400 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 1,094,245 | +4.6% |
| 2025 | 1,139,361 | +4.1% |
What the trend says
Recent totals have risen. Badlands recorded 1,046,400 visits in 2023, 1,094,245 in 2024 and 1,139,361 in 2025. The latest total is still 6.9% below 2021's 1,224,226.
The series record is older. 1991's 1,518,396 visits remain the highest total shown. 2025 is 25.0% below that high. A recent increase is not the same as a new annual record.
The comparison year changes the conclusion. Against 2015's 989,354, the latest total is 15.2% higher. Use the full table to compare specific years. The counts alone cannot explain why visits changed.
Common questions
How many visits did Badlands record in 2025?
1,139,361 recreation visits, up 4.1% from 1,094,245 in 2024. Repeat visits are not combined into a count of distinct people.
What was Badlands National Park's busiest year?
1991 has the highest total in this 1979–2025 series: 1,518,396 recreation visits. The record claim is limited to the displayed dataset.
Is Badlands visitation higher than in 2015?
2025's total is 15.2% higher than 2015's 989,354. That longer comparison differs from measuring against the 1991 series high.
How the annual totals are calculated
Each year sums twelve monthly TRV (recreation visit) values for reporting unit BADL in the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. The table covers 1979–2025; recreation visits are not unique people or visitor spending.
Counts establish the size and direction of changes, not their causes. Historical reporting practices may differ. The series maximum makes no claim about years before 1979. We are independent of the National Park Service.
Independent site. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Data comes from the official NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025; editorial analysis is ours. The NPS Arrowhead and other NPS marks are not used.