Part 1 - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

All photos will enlarge when clicked on

Yellowstone National Park, was established by US Congress on March 1,1872, and is America's first national park. It is located primarily in the state of Wyoming, with small sections located in Montana, and Idaho.

We spent three days visiting the park, and I took hundreds of photos. It was hard to chose just a few of them to show in my blog, so I've decided to make this part of a three part post, so that I can display the special highlights of our visit in an easier viewing format.

Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468 square miles, and is comprised of lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges.

Almost immediately upon driving into the eastern entrance of the park, we came upon this bison in the road, ambling slowly along towards his destination! Yellowstone is home to a large variety of wildlife, including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, elk, pronghorn antelope and moose.

Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America, with an elevation of 7,733 feet above sea level and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super volcano on the continent. Many geothermal areas were evident along the lake shore.

A lone bison walking along the river bank.

A view of Yellowstone Lake. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing. Paved roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls. During the winter, visitors often access the park by way of guided tours that use either snow coaches or snowmobile.

Yellowstone takes its name from the translated Native American name for the "Rock Yellow River," now known as Yellowstone River.

Rapids on the Yellowstone River.

A portion of Yellowstone is really a caldera, which was formed by the largest volcanic system in North America. It has been termed a "supervolcano" because the caldera was formed by exceptionally large explosive eruptions. Hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide are toxic gases that can be found in some areas, and you can feel the hydrothermal heat if you are close to any of the formations.

This unusual formation was named "Dragon's Mouth Spring" in 1912, because steam hitting inside the caves walls sounds like a breathing beast, and there are occasional spurts of water erupting from the mouth.

Enlarge to read information.

The Upper Falls of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone fall 109 feet.

The Lower Falls, located in Yellowstone's Grand Canyon, and 308-feet long, is the biggest waterfall in Yellowstone, and the most famous. It is the second most photographed feature of Yellowstone, after the Old Faithful geyser. It is easy to see why, as the bright blue water drops in a thunderous cascade over the cliff into the bottom of the bright yellow hued canyon. Countless artists have painted this view!

I wish you could hear the sound! A wonderful Youtube video of the falls can be seen at this link.

There were many different viewing areas to view the falls, and each one was breathtaking! Enlarge this photo to see visitors standing at a viewpoint along the rim.

Prior to the establishment of the National Park Service, the U.S. Army protected Yellowstone between 1886 and 1918. Fort Yellowstone was established at Mammoth Hot Springs for that purpose. Many of the historic structure remain today.

In the Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone, the main attraction are the terraces created by heat, water, limestone, and rock fracture, combined to create the other-worldly landscapes.

The Mammoth Hot Springs are constantly changing. As formations grow, water is forced to flow in different directions. The constant changes in water and mineral deposits create a living sculpture.

Calcium carbonate forms travertine, which is deposited as white rock, and then microorganisms and bacteria in it create beautiful shades of oranges, pinks, yellows, greens, and browns.

Yellowstone National Park is truly a place like no other! Its size, its natural beauty, and all its unique features were all astounding. I hope you join me for my next blog post which will show more photos of the beauty and grander of Yellowstone National Park.

I am adding my post today to Susan of A Southern Daydreamer blog's "Outdoor Wednesday" event, # 37. Please visit Susan's blog today to see links to other wonderful outdoor themed blog posts.