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After a sluggish start to Memorial Day weekend, Bighorn Canyon expects normal tourism this season

A canyon with unique geologic features at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
Maciej Ciupa
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Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

The visitor center at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area near Lovell saw slightly fewer people Memorial Day weekend as compared to last year. But the site’s leaders are expecting a typical season in terms of visitation.

This Memorial Day weekend saw 226 people at the visitor center, versus 262 last year.

Chief of Interpretation Christy Fleming said the lower visitor count may have been due to weather at the start of the holiday weekend.

“It started out kind of slow, but I think that's because it was cooler. And then by Monday we were pretty much normal visitation for Memorial Day,” she said.

The area has sweeping canyons, unique geology and a large lake.

She said the recreation area is focusing on “front facing activities” this summer.

“The lake and lake facilities and keeping the campgrounds clean, keeping the boat docks and log booms all working properly, and having the aquatic invasive species station going and keeping the visitor center open,” she said.

Fleming said some interpretive programming, like guided trips to ranches and kayak tours, will hopefully start up by the end of June. The park’s website says an artist in residency program it’s been running for a decade isn’t happening this summer.

Trump’s proposed budget for next year would cut about $1 billion to national parks, possibly including recreation areas like Bighorn Canyon, and proposes transferring some lesser visited sites to state control, although it doesn’t name specific parks.

Leave a tip: oweitz@uwyo.edu
Olivia Weitz is based at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody. She covers Yellowstone National Park, wildlife, and arts and culture throughout the region. Olivia’s work has aired on NPR and member stations across the Mountain West. She is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound and the Transom story workshop. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing, cooking, and going to festivals that celebrate folk art and music.

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