(Photo courtesy of Grand Canyon National Park)

Grand Canyon's South Kaibab Trail.

The Grand Canyon set a record for the number of visitors in 2015 and is bracing for an even busier year ahead. 

Absent December’s totals, more than 5 million people visited the park. To put that into perspective, Yellowstone had more than 4 million visitors. To help manage crowds, the Grand Canyon opened its residential and employee entrance at the South Rim to those with passes over holiday weekends and will continue to do so in 2016. It also increased hiring for entrance gate employees.

The National Park Service celebrates its 100th birthday next year.