Yellowstone National Park Wy

Yellowstone: America’s First National Park, and Still Its Most Extraordinary

Yellowstone was established in 1872, the first national park in the world. It sits mostly in Wyoming, with edges extending into Montana and Idaho, on top of one of the world’s largest active volcanoes. The Yellowstone hotspot has been producing eruptions for 2.1 million years; the most recent supervolcanic eruption (640,000 years ago) covered most of North America in ash. The caldera from that event is the entire central valley of the park. All the geothermal activity – geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots – is powered by this same geology. This is not a theme park version of a volcano; it is an active volcanic system that happens to be open to the public.

The Geothermal Features

Old Faithful erupts approximately every 90 minutes (the interval has varied over time from 45 minutes to over 100; the rangers post a predicted next eruption time that is accurate within about 10 minutes). The eruption lasts 1.5-5 minutes and throws 14,000-32,000 litres of water up to 56 metres. It is impressive and worth seeing, but on summer days the boardwalk area holds several thousand people. Visit either at the first eruption of the morning or at the last of the evening.

Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world, at 91 metres wide and 49 metres deep. The distinctive rainbow colouration (deep blue centre, progressing through green, yellow, and orange to brown at the edges) comes from pigmented bacteria living at different temperatures around the spring. The bacteria survive in water up to 87 degrees Celsius; the microbes change colour as the water cools toward the edges. The best view is from the Fairy Falls Trail overlook, about 1.5 kilometres from the Midway Geyser Basin car park – from the boardwalk at the spring itself you cannot see the full ring of colour.

Mammoth Hot Springs is a different geology: calcium carbonate terraces built up by flowing thermal water, creating stepped formations in white and ochre. The travertine terraces are living structures that grow and change; some areas that were active a decade ago are now dry and grey.

Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most dynamic thermal area in the park. Steamboat Geyser here is the world’s tallest active geyser when it erupts (reaching 90-120 metres), but intervals between eruptions are unpredictable and can be years apart.

Wildlife

The Lamar Valley in the northeast of the park is the most reliable area for wildlife viewing. This is where the Yellowstone wolf reintroduction in 1995 brought grey wolves back after a 70-year absence, and it remains the best place in the continental United States to watch wolves in the wild. The valley also has large bison herds, grizzly bear sightings (particularly in spring when bears are coming out of hibernation), pronghorn, and coyotes.

Dawn and dusk are the productive hours. Binoculars are essential; the animals are often at distance in the valley floor or on hillsides.

The rules matter: stay at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, at least 25 yards from bison. Bison are involved in more injuries per year in Yellowstone than bears. They look slow; they can run at 35 miles per hour. Never approach them for photographs, regardless of what you see other tourists doing.

Getting Around

The park has two main entrance roads: the Grand Loop Road covers the main attractions and is a figure-eight 143 miles long. Some visitors try to drive the entire loop in a day; this produces stress and shallow experience. Two to three days minimum allows proper time at the main geothermal areas, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (Upper and Lower Falls from Artist’s Point), and the wildlife corridors.

The north entrance via Gardiner, Montana, is open year-round. Other entrances close from November to April depending on snowfall. The park has no ride-share service and limited shuttle options; a rental car is effectively mandatory.

Where to Stay

Inside the park: Accommodation at Old Faithful Inn, Lake Yellowstone Hotel, and the smaller lodges at Canyon, Tower-Roosevelt, and Mammoth Hot Springs is booked through Xanterra, the park concessionaire. The lodges book out months in advance for summer. The Old Faithful Inn is architecturally significant (a 1904 log structure that is the largest log building in the world) and worth staying in for the experience. The rooms are basic relative to the price; you are paying for the location.

Campgrounds: The park has twelve campgrounds. Some require advance reservations (through recreation.gov); others are first-come, first-served. The first-come options fill by 8am in summer.

Outside the park: West Yellowstone (Montana), Gardiner (Montana), and Cody (Wyoming) have hotels and are practical bases. Jackson Hole (Wyoming) is 60 miles south of the south entrance and is a full resort town with good food, excellent skiing in winter, and Grand Teton National Park adjacent.

When to Go

July and August are peak crowds but full thermal activity and warm wildlife behaviour. April and May have fewer crowds but mud and some road closures. September is arguably the best month: crowds drop after Labor Day, the elk rut begins (dramatic and noisy), and the light is golden. October brings fall colour and significantly fewer people, but the park begins closing facilities.