Yellowstone National Park: America’s Geothermal Wonderland

Yellowstone National Park is the world’s first national park, captivating visitors for nearly 150 years, and no doubt earlier inhabitants as well. It’s said that Yellowstone is home to half of the world’s hydrothermal features, with more than 10,000 hydrothermal features including hot springs, mudpots, geysers, and travertine terraces.

One of the most well-known attractions within Yellowstone National Park is Old Faithful. Although its eruptions are less regular than they were decades ago, it is still the most consistent large geyser in the park. Yellowstone National Park also claims the world’s tallest currently-active geyser, Steamboat Geyser, which has become more active in recent years.

Wildlife is another major attraction in America’s first national park. Yellowstone boasts the largest bison population on public land and in 1995, gray wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone. Other wildlife commonly seen in the park includes elk, moose, and bears.

While the world’s oldest national park wows anytime of the year, there’s something especially spectacular about Yellowstone in winter. Sparse crowds, snow-blanketed landscapes, and incredible wildlife sightings make visiting the national park during the winter an experience of a lifetime.

Yellowstone National Park has five entrances. West Yellowstone is one of the most popular gateways to the park, especially during the winter. The east entrance via Cody, WY is another route visitors often use. The small town of Livingston, MT also makes a great home base for exploring Yellowstone National Park.