Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is located in the Northwest corner of Wyoming – with small areas spilling over into Idaho and Montana. Most roads into the park are open from May through November, but the North Entrance (through Gardiner, MT) is open all year and goes through the Mammoth and Lamar Valley areas of the park. The road from the northeast – along the Beartooth Highway – is generally open from May 30 through November 16. The entrance fee is good for 7 days in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. You can also use the Park Annual Pass, Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass and Interagency Access Pass available from the National Park Service.

Xanterra manages the lodging inside Yellowstone National Park. In addition to lodging in the Park, the surrounding towns of West Yellowstone, Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana; and Cody and Flagg Ranch, Wyoming have places to suit all budgets. I would recommend reservations at all times. There are 12 campgrounds in Yellowstone. Seven are run by the National Park Service and are available on a first-come, first-served basis only. Yellowstone National Park Lodges (307-344-7311) manages five camping areas where you can make reservations.

The closest airport is the West Yellowstone Regional Airport located 1 mile north of the town of West Yellowstone, Montana. Other airports are the Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody, Wyoming (53 miles from the East Entrance); Jackson Airport in Jackson, Wyoming (56 miles to the South Entrance of Yellowstone, through Grand Tetons National Park); Gallatin Field in Bozeman, Montana (87 miles from West Yellowstone Entrance); and Logan International Airport in Billings, Montana (129 miles from the Cooke City Entrance along the Beartooth Highway).

There are numerous things to see and do in Yellowstone.

THERMAL FEATURES

Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of thermal features in the world. In fact, it has more thermal features than the rest of the world combined. In addition to numerous geysers, there are terraces, pools and beautiful run-offs of color. The thermal features are the most popular areas of the park.

Upper Geyser Basin contains most of the largest and most predictable geysers – including Old Faithful. It also has some interesting smaller geysers and hot pools. There is a large parking area and visitor center, as well as the Old Faithful Inn and Snow Bird Lodge. Stop at the visitor center for expected times of eruptions of the major geysers.
Black Sand Basin is about one-half mile northwest of the Old Faithful Interchange along the main loop road and has several attractive springs and geysers, including Opalescent Pool and Emerald Pool.
The most interesting feature at Biscuit Basin is the Jewel Geyser.
Midway Geyser Basin has some colorful run-off streams and the beautiful Grand Prismatic Spring.
Firehole Lake Drive contains Great Fountain Geyser (which erupts from a terraced pool), White Dome Geyser and Pink Cone Geyser.
Lower Geyser Basin and Fountain Paint Pots have several interesting thermal features, including the Fountain Paint Pots, Silex Spring and Clepsydra Geyser.
Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest and most changeable thermal area in Yellowstone.
Mammoth Hot Springs contains travertine terraces, including Minerva Terrace, Canary Spring and Orange Spring Mound.
The Mud Volcano Area is a small area of interest on the eastern side of the park, just south of Hayden Valley.
West Thumb Geyser Basin is worth only a quick visit – not nearly as much to see as the Upper, Midway and Lower Geyser Basins.

WILDLIFE

Yellowstone is well known for its abundance of wildlife. The Park is home to numerous animals including black bear, grizzly bear, bighorn sheep, bison, elk, river otters, moose, pronghorn, mule deer, coyote and wolves. There are also numerous species of birds including bald eagles, golden eagles, osprey, ravens, American kestrels, prairie falcons, red-tailed hawks, trumpeter swans, great blue heron, American white pelican and American Dipper.
You will find wildlife in all areas of the park at different times of the year. Be prepared for “bison jams” along the road as the bison herd roams freely all over the Park. Lamar Valley is generally considered the best area for wildlife – and is said to be the only area where you have a chance of seeing the wolves. Hayden Valley is another good area for spotting wildlife.

There is more information on wildlife in Yellowstone, including the best areas to see specific animals.

NOTE: Remember that all the wildlife in Yellowstone is just that – Wild. It is very important for the health and well-being of the animals (and your own safety) that you do not feed them. Feeding them is strictly prohibited within the Park. You also must keep at least 25 yards away from all animals except bears – you must stay 100 yards away from bears.

WATERFALLS

Yellowstone has approximately 290 waterfalls, many of them easily accessible, and some of them right off the road. Some of the more easily accessible waterfalls are:

Upper and Lower Falls of Yellowstone Canyon – The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and its Upper and Lower Falls are spectacular. There are easily accessed viewpoints along the North Rim Drive and main loop road.
Tower Falls has an overlook along the main loop road; Undine Falls is roadside 5 miles east of Mammoth; Rustic Falls is roadside 5 miles south of Mammoth; Gibbon Falls is roadside about halfway between Norris and Madison; Kepler Cascades is roadside in the Old Faithful area; Firehole Falls is just south of Madison Junction alongside Firehole Canyon Road. There are many more waterfalls, roadside and backcountry.

FISHING

Yellowstone National Park is internationally known for its superb fly fishing. It has beautiful rivers with a tremendous amount of variety, offering a fly fisherman a wide array of choices. Float fishing on most of the rivers is not allowed. Wade anglers find Yellowstone a wonderful place to fish. Access is relatively easy since the roads often parallel the best fishing rivers. Anglers from all over the world fly fish for Yellowstone cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout.