Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Parks › Wyoming
CONTENTS

Yellowstone National Park

Long before any recorded human history in Yellowstone, a massive volcanic eruption spewed an immense volume of ash that covered all of the western U.S., much of the Midwest, northern Mexico and some areas of the eastern Pacific. The eruption dwarfed that of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 and left a caldera 30 miles wide by 45 miles long. That climactic event occurred about 640,000 years ago, and was one of many processes that shaped Yellowstone National Park--a region once rumored to be "the place where hell bubbles up." Geothermal wonders, such as Old Faithful, are evidence of one of the world's largest active volcanoes. These spectacular features bemused and befuddled the park's earliest visitors, and helped lead to the creation of the world's first national park. Fur trappers' fantastic tales of cauldrons of bubbling mud and roaring geysers sending steaming plumes skyward made their way back east. Several expeditions were sent to investigate, opening the West to further exploration and exploitation. In 1871, Ferdinand Hayden led an expedition that included artist Thomas Moran and photographer William H. Jackson. They brought back images that helped convince Congress that the area known as Yellowstone needed to be protected and preserved. In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law declaring that Yellowstone would forever be "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people."

IN DEPTH

Sightseeing Tours Various interpretive sightseeing tours and activities are offered. In 2007, over 20 new tours in refurbished Old Yellow Buses will be available. For reservations, contact Xanterra Parks &...read more

Sights To See During the summer, visit Yellowstone's most popular sights during the quieter times of the day, in the morning, or late afternoon and evening. You'll streamline your visits (and see...read more

Trails of Yellowstone Below are descriptions of some self-guiding park trails. They are easy walks on which most points of interest are labeled to foster a greater understanding of nature. For more...read more

Visitor Services All park facilities are open from mid-June to late August. Before and after those dates, services are limited at some locations. Check the park newspaper or www.nps.gov/yell for current...read more

Walking & Hiking Most of Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres is backcountry interspersed with approximately 1,000 miles of backcountry trails that run through a variety of terrain. (Dogs, except service animals with required...read more

Welcome to Yellowstone Yellowstone is the world's first national park and one of the largest in the contiguous United States. Sprawling across volcanic plateaus in the northwest corner of Wyoming, Yellowstone contains...read more

Who's Who at Yellowstone National Park Service The NPS is the federal custodian of Yellowstone National Park. As an agency of the Department of the Interior, the NPS has the responsibility of preserving...read more

William Jackson This celebrated photographer of the West gained fame when his 1871 Hayden Expedition photos helped persuade Congress to establish Yellowstone as a national park. Jackson's career began in...read more

Winter Activities A WINTER VISIT TO YELLOWSTONE Come to Yellowstone in winter and enjoy a truly spectacular landscape. The contrast with the park in summer is astonishing: While snow blankets the park,...read more

Wolves Following an absence of more than 70 years, the wolf once again runs beneath the ample skies of Yellowstone National Park.  In March of 1995 and again in 1996, a...read more

PARK PHOTOS

Yellowstone : Yellowstone Lake Shore
Yellowstone Lake Shore
Shawn Zhang
Yellowstone : Bison Herd Geyser
Bison Herd Geyser
Robynrg
Yellowstone : Coyote Sitting
Coyote Sitting
Sascha Burkard
 

RECENT NEWS