Yellowstone National Park Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Location:

Northwest corner of Wyoming, southern Montana, and eastern Idaho.

Vital Stats:

Nearest airports: Cody, Wyoming, 56 miles east: Jackson, Wyoming, 52 miles south; Bozeman, Montana, 98 miles north.

Established: 1872.

Size: 2.2 million acres.


Park website: http://www.nps.gov/yell/

Snapshot

The nation's first national park, Yellowstone was established in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant. Its defining feature is its geothermal landscape: bubbling sulfur springs, steaming fumaroles, shooting geysers (such as the iconic Old Faithful). Also distinctive: the park's "mega fauna" wildlife: bears, bison, moose, elk, and mountain lions.

Did You Know?

Most of the park rests atop a slumbering volcano that erupted half a million years ago and is showing signs of renewed activity (note: No eruption is expected in the near future).

There are more geysers and hot springs here than anywhere else on Earth.

Scenic Drive

The Canyon Village to Tower-Roosevelt stretch of the park's main Grand Loop drive is a 19-mile route through iconic Yellowstone landscapes, including the 23-mile-long Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and striking basalt towers.

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