Outdoor enthusiasts will be thrilled with the activities offered by Yellowstone National Park. The world's first National Park, Yellowstone covers more than 2.2 million acres of wilderness land. Wildlife is plentiful and includes more than 60 types of mammals and over 320 species of birds. There is a wealth of native plants as well as petrified forests. In addition, Yellowstone National Park is home to hundreds of geysers and waterfalls. It's also where you'll find 132-square-mile Yellowstone Lake, the largest lake above 7000 feet in the lower 48 states, where boating and fishing reign supreme. What's more, there are a thousand miles of hiking, biking, and walking trails and four blue ribbon trout streams.
Hotels near Yellowstone National Park -
Travelers who are headed to Yellowstone National Park for vacation will want to reserve clean, comfortable accommodations at one of three hotels operated by Yellowstone Vacations. Enjoy well-appointed guestrooms and spacious family suites, friendly service, and fine amenities. A convenient location puts the Park literally steps away.
Tours of Yellowstone National Park -
The best way to experience Yellowstone is not in your car! A combination of lower cost, greater comfort, commanding views and opportunities to learn about Yellowstone is inspiring more visitors to choose bus (summer) or snowcoach (winter) tours as their preferred way to experience our oldest national park. Awaiting you are geysers erupting boiling water and hot pools so crystal clean you can see clear to the bottom.
Yellowstone National Park Natural Sites -
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River is 4,000 feet wide in some spots and it can be as deep as 1,200 feet. When you visit this breathtaking canyon, you'll have great views of two wondrous waterfalls. The Lower Falls cascades more than 300 feet into the canyon, almost twice the height of Niagara Falls, while the Upper Falls tumbles over 100 feet down. Mammoth Hot Springs is a great place to witness all types of wildlife and amazing vistas. A beautiful overlook awaits those who travel the one-mile Lower Terrace Trail at Mammoth Hot springs. Located 11 miles south of Mammoth Hot Springs, Obsidian Cliff is at the northern end of Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park. Rising to almost 7,400 feet, the cliff extends for a half mile, climbing from 150 to 200 feet above Obsidian Creek and falling gradually away to the north. Yellowstone Lake is the largest lake in North America. Popular activities include boating, with powerboats, canoes, kayaks and sailboats leading the way, and fishing for cutthroat trout. The lake is located 20 miles north of the South Entrance. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm
Yellowstone National Park Geysers -
There are approximately 10,000 thermal features in Yellowstone National Park, more than 500 hundred of which are geysers. In fact, Yellowstone contains the majority of the geysers in the world. Reaching temperatures of over 400 degrees Fahrenheit, Norris Geyser Basin, is thought to be the hottest geyser basin in Yellowstone. It's also where the world's largest geyser is located. Steamboat Geyser has been known to send water as high as 380 feet into the air. A visit wouldn't be complete without watching Old Faithful, the most consistent geyser in Yellowstone. Every 60(per YNP website) minutes to two hours it erupts for 1.5 to 5 minutes. Its maximum height is between 106(per YNP website) and 184 feet. For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/geysers.htm
Yellowstone National Park Wildlife -
Yellowstone National Park boasts the largest concentration of wildlife in all of the United States (except Hawaii and Alaska). There are more than 60 types of mammals, including bears, gray wolves, moose, elk, badgers, otters, and foxes. Some of the hardest animals to see are wolverine and lynx while some of the easiest are elk (one of the largest herds in the United States) and bison, which are the largest mammals in Yellowstone National Park. Bison herds can be found grazing in the meadows, foothills, and even the high-elevation, forested plateaus. Bison males weigh as much as 1,800 pounds while females tip the scales at about 1,000 pounds. As for birds, there are hundreds of species, including sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans, common loons, harlequin ducks, ospreys, peregrine falcons, and bald eagles. For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/viewanim.htm
