Do you want to visit Yellowstone National Park? Good idea! Extensive nature reserves, jagged mountain ranges and impressive traces of volcanism: you will find it all in Yellowstone National Park. The beloved Yellowstone is the first national park in the US and is known for its special natural phenomena. According to indexdotcom, the park is located for the most part in Wyoming with foothills in the states of Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone is not on the regular route of a tour of Western America, but many people make a detour for the enchanting nature reserve for a reason.
Visit to Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park covers almost 9,000 km2 in which a great diversity of landscapes can be found. Deep blue lakes, raging rivers and huge coniferous forests are common here. When you explore this alpine landscape, you will come across dizzying ravines and gigantic waterfalls. Yellowstone National Park is located on the Yellowstone Plateau, which is surrounded by mountains such as the Middle Rocky Mountains, the Gallatin Range and the Beartooth Range. In short, we definitely recommend visiting the special Yellowstone National Park.
The fascinating nature that sets the park apart from all others owes it to the volcanic soil on which it is located. The volcano is still considered active, although it has not erupted for thousands of years. The park will be covered with rocks and hardened lava that comes from this volcano. The bubbling rivers, hot springs and geysers were also created by volcanic activity. The most impressive natural phenomenon, however, is Yellowstone Lake, which is about 120 meters deep. It is located in the volcano crater and is one of the highest lakes in the world! A must-see during your trip to the US.
Residents
Yellowstone has long been an important hunting ground for several Indian tribes, including the Nez Perce, Crow, and Shoshone. These tribes were later driven out of the park. Fortunately, there are still many archaeological sites of these Indians and their ancestors, such as utensils. Very nice to admire this when you decide to visit Yellowstone National Park!
Yellowstone is home to many plant and animal species, some of which are threatened with extinction. The park is considered the place where you can spot all the big animals. The coyote, moose, mountain goat, cougar, wolf and the oldest bison herd in the US live here. The endangered grizzly bear and Canadian lynx are also still found here. When you spot this during your visit to Yellowstone National Park, your holiday is complete! Special plant species can also be found here, including the twisted and the rare Yellowstone Sand Verbena.
Sights
Are you considering visiting Yellowstone National Park during your trip to the US? Then you will be amazed by all the beautiful sights. The archaeological sites are an example of this, as are the three well-known canyons Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Lewis Canyon and Black Canyon. These ravines have been carved into the volcanic rock by the river. Other must-visits are:
- Old Faitful Geyser. This ‘faithful’ geyser spouts boiling water once every one and a half hours, sometimes up to a height of 55 meters! The volcanic soil allows this and other geysers such as Castle Geyser, Lion Geyser, and Beehive Geyser to remain active. A beautiful sight not to be missed!
- Hot Springs and Mud Pots. These beautiful phenomena are also due to volcanism. Beauty Pool and Chromatic Spring are brilliantly colored springs, well worth a visit. Mud pots are formed where hot gas and water rise to the surface in a moist place. It looks like the mud is boiling, a unique experience for when you visit Yellowstone National Park!
- Lower Falls of Yellowstone River. This huge waterfall is no less than 94 meters high and plunges the sparkling water down with enormous force. An impressive spectacle that you must have seen during your visit to this park!
- Petrified Forest. This petrified forest was most likely created by the volcano itself. The trees were buried a long time ago under ash and soil and are therefore petrified.
Activities
Hiking, camping, boating, fishing, rafting and rock climbing. When you decide to visit Yellowstone National Park, you will discover that this is just a small selection of the total range of activities. You can also join a guided tour or explore the park on foot or by car. Some nice trails are: Boiling River Trail, Lava Creek Trail, Red Rock Trail and South Rim Trail. Wooden footpaths have been laid out along most routes so that you can get close to all the sights.
Itineraries
Yellowstone is easily accessible for all kinds of transportation. Major roads such as Interstate 15 and Interstate 90 make it possible to visit Yellowstone National Park. The park itself has several entrances:
- North entrance (from Interstate 90)
- Northeast entrance (from Interstate 90 to Beartooth Highway)
- East entrance (from US Route 14)
- South entrance (from US Route 89)
- West entrance (from Interstate 15)
