Yellowstone National Park was the first national park established in the world and is the largest in America. Established in 1872 by Theodore Roosevelt, Yellowstone was looked after by the U.S. Army (this was prior to the creation of the national park service). Yellowstone is named for the yellow stone in the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone." Yellowstone is primarily in Montana but spreads into Idaho and Wyoming. It has some of the most intricate systems of geysers and hot springs in the world and is home to the largest high altitude lake in the America, Lake Yellowstone at over 7000 feet above sea level and 400 feet deep.
Yellowstone Lake
Many People come to Yellowstone each year and some of the main attractions are camping, hiking, observing the wildlife, and seeing the famous geyser Old Faithful. Old Faithful erupts every 91 minutes. Wooden walkways allow tourists to get surprisingly close to the geyser.
Old Faithful
Castle Geyser
The climate in the park varies due to elevation but the average highs are 70 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the Summer, 60 degrees to 30 Fahrenheit in the Spring and Fall, and in the Winter 20 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. (These are the high temperatures!) The parks average precipitation is about 150 inches per year depending on elevation and snow is known to occur anytime during the year.
Observing wildlife is a large attraction in the park. From wolves and bison to pronghorn deer and grizzly bears. In the early years of the park tourists were encouraged to feed the wildlife but this soon changed after numerous maulings of tourists.
A pack of gray wolves
A female grizzly bear
bison grazing by hot springs
Over 2 million (2,000,000) tourists visit Yellowstone each year and the park, in the peak season employs over 3,700 people. It is the most popular national park in America.
(All the other national parks are jealous)
