Yellowstone National Park is located in the far northwestern corner of Wyoming, directly north of Grand Teton National Park and is also serviced by the town of Jackson Hole on the south.
Yellowstone is our nations largest National Park covering more than 2.2 million acres or more than 4 times the area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
People have been coming to the area known as Yellowstone for several thousands years. Explorers and artists helped bring the beauty of Yellowstone’s wonders to the general public and to the attention of the US government so they could preserve this vast land. Consequently, the national park was established in 1872 and Yellowstone was born.
Yellowstone National Park is a region known as "the place where hell bubbles up." Old Faithful is one of the geothermal wonders that show evidence of being in and around one of the world's largest active volcanoes. Yes, Yellowstone is considered an active volcano!
These spectacular features were a great amazement to the park's earliest visitors, and lead to the creation of the first national park in the world. The United States is responsible along with Yellowstone for creating the National Park preservation movement.
Before the days of color photography, amazing tales of bubbling mud pots, erupting geysers, fantastic waterfalls and deep canyons piques the curiosity of the adventurous and started people visiting the area and prompting even more exploration of the natural wonder.
The explorer Ferdinand Hayden led an expedition in 1871 which included the artist Thomas Moran and photographer and painter William H. Jackson. The expedition brought back images and paintings that helped convince Congress that Yellowstone needed to be protected and made available for all the world to experience.
And then in 1872 President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill preserving Yellowstone as the first national park. Some consider this moment the beginning of the environmental movement.
Yellowstone has some of the most unusual geology in the world. In the same day you can visit vast plains sometimes filled with herds of bison or elk, see towering waterfalls descending into deep gorges, witness incredible geothermal wonders, see pristine lakes and explore dense forests.
Yellowstone National Park is the center of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest temperate zone ecosystems on the planet. This large 28,000-square-mile area consists of an immense variety of wildlife species, landscapes and natural processes for enjoyment and ongoing scientific research.
To help you plan your activities and trip to Yellowstone National Park, here is a list of maps to get you around the park.