Yellowstone National Park posted strong visitation numbers in August, marking three months in a row that the park has surpassed 2007 levels in the face of a slumping economy and high gas prices.

In August, Yellowstone saw 735,572 visitors compared to 710,781 for the same month last year, a 3.5 percent bump. Compared to 2008, year-to-date numbers are down about half a percentage point from 2,511,790 to 2,509,947. Officials largely attribute soft visitation numbers earlier this year to a cold, wet spring.

“It’s hard to quibble about half a percent,” said Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash. “We had a record June. We had a strong July. We had a strong August.”

The three months of strong numbers come despite worries that high gas prices and a slumping economy would keep visitors home this vacation season.

“On the surface, continuing strong visitation in light of the economic challenges may be counter-intuitive,” said Nash. “Yellowstone remains one of those vacation destinations that visitors focus on.”

Nash said shoulder seasons, spring and late fall, could see declines especially if the weather turns cold. “Our shoulder seasons are likely to be less dependant on distant visitors and may be a little more vulnerable to changes,” he said. “I believe that our peak visitation during our peak months is less susceptible to short-term changes.”

Yellowstone’s good news comes as other national parks across the country have seen visitation drop. Nash attributes Yellowstone’s durability to the fact that many visitors travel to the park from outside the region, unlike some national parks that draw a more local clientele. “I don’t think we’re dependant on local visitors for a high percentage of our visits,” he said. “This is very much a destination park.”

The figures come as visitation from Jackson and Grand Teton through the park’s South Entrance is off both for the month and year-to-date.

Yellowstone’s South Gate was off 4.9 percent for August, and is off 5.9 percent year-to-date. The South Gate remains the second-busiest entrance to the park after the West Entrance.