And let us not forget the lessons of history. When this park was protected, it was done so to literally save it from public auction. Thank God America had the foresight then.
— Governor Steve Bullock
Date Created: Yellowstone National Park was established on March 1, 1872, making it the first national park in the world.
Location: The park is located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, with smaller sections extending into Montana and Idaho.
Size: Approximately 2.2 million acres (898,317 hectares).
Yellowstone is a world renown destination. Early American explorers were astonished by the abundant wildlife – and the tall tales they told! Geysers, boiling mud, cauldrons of hot, steaming waters were so outlandish it was hardly believable. Ulysses Grant established Yellowstone as the first national park in 1872. It is quite enormous. Set aside at least a few days to explore this massive park. There are more than 10,000 hydrothermal features to explore – with caution. Old Faithful is the world’s most famous geyser where eruptions are predictable about every 50 to 120 minutes and spews water and steam between 130 and 180 feet into the air. Norris Geyser Basin has a network of boardwalk trails to view the intriguing geothermal features. Beautiful Grand Prismatic Spring is a deep blue with yellow and orange rings. Beyond the draw of geothermal features, excluding Alaska, Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the nation. There are about 1,000 miles of hiking trails passing through forests, waterfalls, lakes and rock formations. What a treasure!
