Yellowstone National Park Facts

Located mostly in the state of Wyoming, in the United States, although 3 percent of it lies in neighboring Montana and 1 percent in Idaho, the Yellowstone National Park was the first of its kind when it was established in 1872. The park is renowned for its geothermal features and wildlife. Given below are some more interesting Yellowstone National Park facts.

Historically, the origin of Yellowstone’s name has been attributed to the Native Americans who had lived in the area. Basically, the name comes from the Yellowstone River, which in turn gets its name from the yellow colored rocky cliffs located on its banks in the northern region of the park. The Minnetaree tribe used to call the river ‘Mi tsi a da zi’, meaning ‘Rock Yellow River’. This was translated to ‘Yellow Rock’ or ‘Yellow Stone’ by French fur trappers. This is how Yellowstone got its name.

The geothermal phenomena that occur all over the park are its most famous features. These are caused due to the ‘Yellowstone Hot Spot’, which is an area where the earth’s crust is very thin. The internal heat of the planet is closer to the surface in this area than anywhere else on the planet.

Old Faithful is the most famous amongst these geothermal features, which erupts faithfully about every 65 minutes for about 4 minutes, which is why it got its name from the members of the Washburn-Longford Expedition, which was held in 1870.

The Abyss Pool, which is located in the West Thumb Geyser Basin, got its name because it is the deepest pool in the Yellowstone National Park. It actually was a geyser that erupted in 1987.

Mammoth Hot Springs, located in the northern part of the park is one of the most interesting areas of the park. Here, water mixed with bicarbonate and calcium comes to the surface, where the carbon dioxide is released while the carbonate that remains combines with calcium, forming travertine, which forms into unusual formations and shapes.

One of the most spectacular features of the park is the deep canyon carved by the Yellowstone River as it flows through the area, which also creates a lovely waterfall with upper and lower sections, when it goes over high cliffs. It is known as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.

The Yellowstone Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet, is located in the central part of the park. Covering 136 sq miles, it has a shoreline of 110 miles. The lake goes down to a depth of about 390 feet at its deepest spot, while the average depth is 139 feet.

The Absaroka Range has the highest mountains in the Yellowstone National Park, which is located in the southwestern part of the park. The Eagle Peak, standing at 11,358 feet, is the highest in this range.

Yellowstone also has a number of historic buildings like the Old Faithful Inn, around which there are shops, restaurants and other visitor facilities. The remains of Fort Yellowstone are located in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.

Mention Yellowstone National Park, and the buffalo is the animal that comes to mind first. In North America, it is the largest land animal. It can be found munching grass peacefully all across the park, either by itself or in herds. Some of the other animals found here are moose and elk.

With its diverse variety of attractions, the Yellowstone National Park is indeed a unique and wonderful spot on the planet.