Discover the beauty of the USA's first National Park
How do you describe an icon? First spotted in 1807 by Lewis and Clark, words can hardly do justice to Yellowstone National Park, one of Mother Nature’s finest creations. Dynamic geothermal forces lurking just below the surface gave rise to its dramatic collection of mountains, rivers, canyons, springs and geysers, all surrounded by a tapestry of animals, from the largest mammals to the smallest birds. Its allure is great, evidenced by the hordes who visit every year, but it’s possible to carve out a space of your very own in this majestic park if you plan your trip wisely.
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is the oldest and perhaps most famous National Park in the USA. Sitting in the northwest corner of Wyoming (about 90 kilometers north of Jackson Hole) and stretching over state borders into Idaho and Montana, Yellowstone contains nearly 9,000 square kilometers of crystalline lakes, striking canyons, vast grasslands and thundering waterfalls. However, the park is most famous for its geysers.
Yellowstone welcomes more than 3 million visitors each year who come from all around the globe to see Old Faithful erupt, the Mammoth Hot Springs steam and the hundreds of mud pots bubble. The park is beautiful in the summer months, but a visit during the off-season will mean fewer crowds. Another way to find peace and quiet is to stray further from Yellowstone’s expansive network of paved roads. The park boasts hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails meandering through the sprawling Lamar Valley and along the ledges of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The further out you go, the higher your chances of spotting some of the park’s famed wildlife (such as bison, elk and bears) will be.
Credit: Visit The USA
