Yellowstone National Park: America's Geothermal Wonderland

Yellowstone National Park: America’s Geothermal Wonderland

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Grand Prismatic Spring is a stunning thermal feature located in the Midway Geyser Basin of Yellowstone. It's the largest hot spring in the US and third largest in the world.

Yellowstone National Park: America’s Geothermal Wonderland

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The view from Artist Point at Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Old Faithful

Yellowstone National Park: America’s Geothermal Wonderland

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Yellowstone's iconic Old Faithful geyser is one of the most predictable geysers on earth, erupting approximately every 60-90 minutes.

Yellowstone National Park has captivated visitors for nearly 150 years, and no doubt earlier inhabitants as well, prior to it being established as the world’s first national park. 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 Yellowstone. The park 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 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.

Facts & Stats

Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was the world’s first national park.

Yellowstone National Park is the second largest US national park in the lower 48 states, encompassing 2.2 million acres.

With over 67 different species, Yellowstone National Park has the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states.

Yellowstone National park is home to the largest high elevation lake in North America. Yellowstone Lake has 131.7 square miles of surface area and 141 miles of shoreline.