Parks and Recreation
Maintenance Costs and Visitor Days at Two Recreation Areas Gao ID: RCED-87-152FS June 12, 1987Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO compared use statistics and maintenance expenditures for Yellowstone National Park and the Wasatch-Cache National Forest.
GAO found that: (1) fiscal year (FY) 1986 maintenance expenditures for Yellowstone and Wasatch-Cache totalled $8 million and $1.5 million, respectively; and (2) Yellowstone recorded 2.4 million total visitor-days during calendar year 1986 and Wasatch-Cache recorded 5.5 million total visitor-days during FY 1986. GAO noted that the data are not directly comparable because: (1) the Forest Service and the National Park Service use different definitions for their use statistics; and (2) Yellowstone is remotely located and is used heavily on a seasonal basis, while Wasatch-Cache is located in a populous area and is used throughout the year.