HM USA Travel Guide - Yellowstone National Park, an introduction

Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872 and was the world's first national park. It is situated in the northwest of Wyoming and extends into Idaho and Montana. Yellowstone is one of the largest national park in the USA and is yearly visited by millions of tourists. The park is a part of the Rocky Mountains range and has a violent volcanic past. The central portion of the park was formed during the latest eruption (600.000 years ago). That eruption caused the central portion to collapse, forming a caldera or basin. Yellowstone is famous for the thermal wonders like geysers, mudpots and hotsprings but has also a rich wildlife.

John Colter is believed to be the first white man who lived in the Yellowstone area. He was a a member of an Lewis and Clark expedition. When the expedition returned to the United States he left the expedition and lived for some time in the Yellowstone area (1807-1808). After he returned to St. Louis he told everybody about the wonders of Yellowstone. But his stories where met with disbelieve. ..............

The park has five entrances:

The South entrance (US89, 191, 287) - 103 km (64 mi) north of Jackson

The East entrance (US14, 16, 20) - 85 km (53 mi) west of Cody

The Northeast entrance (US212) near Silver Gate and Cooke City

The North entrance (US89) near Gardiner (MT)

The West entrance (US20) near West Yellowstone (MT)

Only the road between the Northeast entrance (Cooke City) to the North entrance is open all year. The other roads are closed from about November 1 to April 30.
The roads in the park are shaped like a figure eight and give access to the main attractions. When driving in the park you should be aware that visitors stop their car in the middle of the road when they see an animal.

The distance from Denver, CO to Yellostone is about 930 Km (580 mi) and from San Francisco it is about 1540 Km (960 Mi). From Salt Lake City, UT to Yellowstone is about 540 Km (335 Mi).

Yellowstone National Park has a rich wildlife. One of the most famous animals is the buffalo or bison. When you are driving through the park it is very likely you will see some. I did. Bears (black bear en grizzly beer) also live in the park. But the chance of seeing one is not great because they tend to live in areas that are not frequently visited by tourists. But if you do see one, take care. Bears (and also bisons) are dangerous. In one of the visitors centers they are showing some homevideos were you can see how people are tossed in the air by bisons. Great!!
Among the other animals in the park are bighorn sheep, coyote, elk, moose and mule deer. You also will see birds like pelican and trumpetter swans.

In 1988 Yellowstone was hit by many forest fires. Forest fires are a natural part of a ecosystem and are important for preserving a diverse flora and fauna. Therefore fires which had a natural cause (like lightning) were allowed to burn in controlled conditions. But in 1988 hot, dry winds caused the fires to spread over large areas. The trees in a large part of the park burned and also many animals died in the flames. About two thirth of the parks area was affected by the fires. The famous Old Faithful Inn was also treathened by the fires but could be saved from destruction. As soon as the fires were put out, nature started recovering from the destruction caused by the fires.
See also Yellowstone's Fires and their Legacy

Yellowstone areas

Your resource for USA travel and tourism information - Yellowstone National Park