Despite smaller staffs, decreased services and a government shutdown, Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks both flirted with record visitation figures in 2013.

Grand Teton, with an estimated 2.69 million recreational visitors, had the sixth-busiest year in its history.

In Yellowstone, where about 3.19 million visitors passed through, it was the fifth-busiest year in its storied history.

The year could have ended up tops on the visitation charts if not for a 16-day stretch in October when Teton park was closed to the public, spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs said.

“If we had not lost the two weeks of visitation in October 2013, we very well might have reached a record total,” Skaggs said.

There were 2.76 million visitors in 1998, the busiest year in Grand Teton’s history. Although that’s about 68,000 more than who showed up in 2013, the missed visitors from Oct. 1 to Oct. 16 likely would have bridged the gap.

More than 135,000 people typically visit Grand Teton during October, and the first half of the month is ordinarily busier than the second half.

The steady flow of folks through Yellowstone surprised park spokesman Al Nash.

“This time last year I would not have anticipated our 2013 visitation numbers to be well above the 3 million mark,” Nash said.

Because of a change in how Yellowstone counts visitors, 2013 numbers cannot be meaningfully compared to those of years past. For an apples-to-apples comparison, one must look at the numbers of vehicles entering the park.

Vehicle traffic, Nash said, was down about 1 percent compared to 2012.

“But no question we had a very strong year,” he said. “I think that is a significant figure, especially when you look at the fact that we had some uncertainty regarding spring opening, and then we had two and a half weeks in October when we closed to the public.”

About 130,000 fewer people visited Yellowstone during October 2013 — the month of the shutdown — compared with October 2012.

2013 came close to setting records in several other measures of business. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had its busiest day ever in December, and the holiday season set records for sleigh riders on the National Elk Refuge and travelers at Jackson Hole Airport.

The record-setting holiday season, however, did not appear to translate into visitation in the parks. Grand Teton’s estimated 37,660 recreational visitors in December were the fewest in 17 years. Yellowstone’s December visitation was also down from 2012.

This article appeared in the Jackson Hole News & Guide on January 28, 2014.