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By Jacob
This month, Yellowstone National Park just celebrated its 149th anniversary. The world's first national park has a lot to offer all of its visitors. This article hits the highlights but should be taken only as an overview. No one can see all of Yellowstone in a finite amount of time, so here are some of the places you should definitely visit.
1. Park Visitor Centers
Yellowstone covers a vast area of over 2 million acres and gets a lot of visitors. There are 10 visitor centers/information stations to get park information, conditions and history of the park. All visitor centers have information, but the bigger visitor centers have special exhibits. In Fort Yellowstone near the northern entrance, stop by the Albright Visitor Center to learn about park wildlife. At the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, you can get information about the geologic history of Yellowstone. The Grant Visitor Center, near the southern entrance, will teach you about fire in the park. On the southwest side visit the Museum of the Park Ranger. The Old Faithful Visitor Center features exhibits on the Yellowstone volcano as well as the hydrothermal features of the park. Other visitor centers include Fishing Bridge, Madison Information Station and Norris Geyser Basin Museum.
2. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
On the eastern side of the park loop road do not miss the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, a spectacular yellow rock 1,000+ deep canyon with two massive waterfalls. The Artists Point vista is a great place to start. Walk along the trails on either rim or down into the canyon for more stunning vistas. The best trails are the ones leading to the very top of the Upper and Lower Falls. Watch the Yellowstone River start its steep drop through the canyon at these unique viewpoints. Nearby is the Mud Volcano and Sulfur Canyon. This area is a great introduction to the incredible geological features such as the mud volcano.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
3. Lamar and Hayden Valleys
Surrounding the Mud Volcano and Sulphur Cauldron is one of Yellowstone's two massive valleys that are great for spotting the park wildlife. Hayden and Lamar Valleys are guaranteed to wow any person who stops to venture into this area. You have an excellent chance of spotting the thousands of American Bison that roam these areas. More rare, the bears that inhabit the park also roam this area, including Grizzly Bears. Elk may be trouting along the river in search of food. It is best to go in the morning or late evening when the animals are most active. One whole day can be spent wandering the valleys for wildlife.
4. Mammoth Hot Springs
At the northern end of the park is the Mammoth Hot Springs Area. Water from the Norris Geyser Basin flows up and creates terraces of minerals on the side of a mountain. The best way to describe the area is as an inside-out cave. The boardwalks provide a great way to walk along the ever-changing terraces of spectacular color and grandeur. Nearby is historic Fort Yellowstone. This area was built when the army controlled the park. You will also likely see the elk herd that likes to wander the area and even get up close to the park buildings. Be safe, these are dangerous animals. Mammoth Hot Springs is definitely worth a stop.
Mammoth Hot Springs
Eruption of Old Faithful
5. Geyser Basins
The main attraction of Yellowstone National Park is of course its geyser basins. Stop by Roaring Mountain, a hillside covered with vents of steam and geyserite. The mountain changes depending on the activity, sometimes it can be very active, and sometimes not so much. The Norris Geyser Basin is the largest in the park as well as the world. It is home to the Steamboat Geyser, the largest geyser in the world blasting water over 300 feet into the air. The Midway Geyser Basin is home to the famous Grand Prismatic Spring. The third-largest hot spring in the world is hundreds of feet deep with its dark blue then green, then orange and red. Be sure to take the trail up to the nearby hill to fully appreciate the full color of this spring. The Upper Geyser is the world's most active. Home to Old Faithful, which erupts every 90 ish minutes. The surrounding geysers are also worth wondering about, as this type of place is one of the rarest things on our planet. You can not visit Yellowstone without seeing Old Faithful erupt once, so this is a must-do attraction.
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