Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, established on March 1, 1872, is the world's oldest National Park.

Yellowstone is famous for hosting more than 10,000-plus hot springs and geysers, the majority of the planet's total. Yellowstone's geothermal wonders are created by one of the world's largest active volcanoes; its last eruption caused a crater or caldera that spans almost half of the parks size.

We can't forget about Yellowstone's most famous geyser, Old Faithful. Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers and is still as spectacular as it was a century ago.

Experience Old Faithful, the most popular geyser in the world, and hundreds of other geysers and hot springs. Look for bears and wolves, elk and buffalo in the Lamar and Hayden Valleys. Hiking, camping, fishing, enjoying exhibits and films, and attending Ranger-led programs are among the many ways to experience Yellowstone.

Wildlife Viewing in Yellowstone

The best times to see wild animals in summer are early morning and late evening. The Hayden Valley between Fishing Bridge and Canyon, and Pelican Creek east of Fishing Bridge are prime moose territory. Watch for bison in Hayden Valley, and waterfowl along its Yellowstone River. Watch for elk, bison, pronghorn, and coyotes in Lamar Valley, and for pronghorn in sagebrush flats near the North Entrance. Bighorn sheep frequent Mount Washburn in summer. More About Wildlife

Geologic Features by Area

Yellowstone's vast collection of thermal features provides a constant reminder of the park's recent volcanic past. Indeed, the caldera provides the setting that allows such features as Old Faithful to exist and to exist in such great concentrations. More
Tower Roosevelt
Lake Bridge
West Thumb
Old Faithful
Canyon
Norris
Mammoth
Geysers
Mudpots
Fumaroles
Hot Spring Terraces

Yellowstone Hiking

Yellowstone National Park, encompassing 2.2 million acres, is one of America's premier wilderness areas. Most of the park is backcountry and managed as wilderness. Over 1,100 miles (1770 km) of trails are available for hiking. However, there are dangers inherent in wilderness: unpredictable wildlife, changing weather conditions, remote thermal areas, cold water lakes, turbulent streams, and rugged mountains with loose, rotten rock. Hiking in Yellowstone
Trails near Lake Village
Trails near Norris
Day Hikes in Canyon Area
Trails near Old Faithful
Trails near Madison
Roosevelt Trails
Mammoth Trails
Trails Near Grant Village

Geysers

Expanding steam bubbles generated from the rising hot water build up behind these constrictions, ultimately squeezing through the narrow passageways and forcing the water above to overflow from the geyser. The release of water at the surface prompts a sudden decline in pressure of the hotter waters at great depth, triggering a violent chain reaction of tremendous steam explosions in which the volume of rising, now boiling, water expands 1,500 times or more. This expanding body of boiling superheated water bursts into the sky as one of Yellowstone's many famous geysers. More

Geoecosystem

The distribution of rocks and sediments in the park also influences the distributions of flora and fauna. The volcanic rhyolites and tuffs of the Yellowstone Caldera are rich in quartz and potassium feldspar, which form nutrient-poor soils. Thus, areas of the park underlain by rhyolites and tuffs generally are characterized by extensive, monotypic stands of lodgepole pine, which are drought tolerant and have shallow roots that take advantage of the nutrients in the soil. In contrast, andesitic volcanic rocks that underlie the Absaroka Mountains are rich in calcium, magnesium, and iron. More

Yellowstone

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