Crater Lake 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 | 410,749 | |
| 1980 | 455,143 | +10.8% |
| 1981 | 503,404 | +10.6% |
| 1982 | 435,589 | -13.5% |
| 1983 | 379,008 | -13.0% |
| 1984 | 419,829 | +10.8% |
| 1985 | 390,604 | -7.0% |
| 1986 | 402,789 | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 460,550 | +14.3% |
| 1988 | 443,430 | -3.7% |
| 1989 | 430,734 | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 384,941 | -10.6% |
| 1991 | 456,931 | +18.7% |
| 1992 | 461,668 | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 381,747 | -17.3% |
| 1994 | 454,215 | +19.0% |
| 1995 | 496,041 | +9.2% |
| 1996 | 476,957 | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 451,548 | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 471,865 | +4.5% |
| 1999 | 417,992 | -11.4% |
| 2000 | 426,883 | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 457,373 | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 456,620 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 479,183 | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 417,066 | -13.0% |
| 2005 | 447,240 | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 388,972 | -13.0% |
| 2007 | 468,958 | +20.6% |
| 2008 | 415,686 | -11.4% |
| 2009 | 446,516 | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 448,319 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 423,551 | -5.5% |
| 2012 | 447,251 | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 523,027 | +16.9% |
| 2014 | 535,508 | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 614,712 | +14.8% |
| 2016 | 756,344 | +23.0% |
| 2017 | 711,749 | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 720,659 | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 704,512 | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 670,500 | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 647,751 | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 527,259 | -18.6% |
| 2023 | 559,976 | +6.2% |
| 2024 | 504,942 | -9.8% |
| 2025 | 632,242 | +25.2% |
What the trend says
The latest increase does not set a record. 2025's 632,242 visits are 16.4% below the 2016 series high of 756,344.
Recent years have moved in both directions. Crater Lake recorded 527,259 visits in 2022, 559,976 in 2023 and 504,942 in 2024. The 2025 increase follows that lower 2024 total; it does not establish a continuing trend.
The ten-year comparison is smaller. The 2025 count is 2.9% higher than 2015's 614,712. Use the full table to see the changes between those endpoints.
Common questions
How many visits did Crater Lake record in 2025?
632,242 recreation visits, up 25.2% from 504,942 in 2024. Repeat visits are not combined into a count of distinct people.
What was Crater Lake's busiest year?
2016, with 756,344 recreation visits, is the highest year in this 1979–2025 dataset. This is a record within the displayed series, not a claim about earlier years.
Why did Crater Lake visitation change?
Annual counts alone cannot establish why visits rose or fell. This page reports the recorded totals without assigning causes. For choosing travel dates, use the monthly crowd calendar and best-time guide.
How the annual totals are calculated
Each year sums twelve monthly TRV (recreation visit) values for reporting unit CRLA in the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package, 2025. The table covers 1979–2025. Counts measure recreation visits, not unique people or visitor spending.
These totals show changes but do not establish their causes. Historical reporting practices may differ, and 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.