Yellowstone National Park Travel Guide

Yellowstone National Park is the world's first national park, established on March 1, 1872. It is a huge park, spanning 63 miles north to south, and 54 miles east to west, and totaling 3,472 square miles in three states.

Annual precipitation ranges from 10 inches at the north boundary to 80 inches in the southwest corner. Winters are cold, with a record low of -66 degrees F.

The Park is one of the world's most popular natural attractions, with attendance exceeding 4 million visitors a year.

We have made multiple trips to Yellowstone over the years, during all seasons, and share some of our photos and trip experiences in this review.

Floods in Yellowstone National Park in 2022 have limited access to some areas of the park. Be to check the latest advisories from the National Park Service regarding roads and lodging.

The 150th Anniversary of Yellowstone

Hotels & Lodging

Location, Entrances & Access

Things to See and Do

Maps

March 1, 2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Yellowstone National Park. Signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant, America's first national park was set aside to preserve and protect the scenery, cultural heritage, wildlife, geologic and ecological systems and processes in their natural condition for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.

To help commemorate the anniversary, the park will host a wide variety of virtual and in-person activities.

Yellowstone National Park Attractions

Yellowstone Lake covers over 131 square miles of area, reaching a maximum depth of 138 feet.

Visitors to the park marvel at a supervolcano's hidden power under the earth, rising up in colorful hot springs, mudpots, and geysers.

The park has thousands of acres of mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes, and endless species of wildlife to watch.

Hiking, camping, fishing, photography, bicycling, boating, horseback riding, snowmobiling, snowcoach tours, and ranger programs are available.

The park sits atop one of the world's largest calderas at 45 x 30 miles and experiences up to 3,000 earthquakes every year. It features more than 10,000 hydrothermal features and 500 geysers.

Visitors walk a wooden bridge across a geothermal area at Yellowstone

Discovered in 1870 by the Washburn Expedition, Old Faithful geyser erupts about every 74 minutes. But intervals are not constant, and can in fact range from 60-110 minutes.

The next eruption time is posted around the park. Old Faithful can vary in height from 100-180 feet with an average of about 130-140 feet. Eruptions normally last between 1.5 to 5 minutes.

One of the main attractions in the park is its wildlife, including bears, fox, elk, bison, lynx, 285 species of birds and more.

The National Park Service provides numerous visitor centers, geyser viewing areas, trails, lookouts, museums, and contact stations.

While in the Yellowstone area, you might want to drive the popular Beartooth Highway and visit the Buffalo Bill Museum of the West in nearby Cody, Wyoming.

Lodging Options In and Near Yellowstone National Park

Lodging in Yellowstone National Park Nine hotels/lodges with over 2,000 hotel rooms/cabins are located inside of the Park. Camping and wilderness camps are also available. Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone NP Lake Yellowstone Hotels & Cabins in the Park Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel & Cabins in Yellowstone NP Old Faithful Snow Lodge in Yellowstone NP Dunraven Lodge in Yellowstone NP Grant Village Lodge in Yellowstone NP Cascade Lodge in Yellowstone NP Lodging Near Yellowstone National Park The closest lodging outside the park is located in West Yellowstone. Lodging in West Yellowstone Lodging in Cody, Wyoming Everything You Need to Know About Yellowstone’s Supervolcano

A beautiful bison at full speed in Yellowstone National Park (Staff Photo)
Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone NP	Explorer Cabins at West Yellowstone

Yellowstone Park Location, Entrances and Access

Yellowstone is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small parts of the park also in southern Montana and eastern Idaho.  Only 3% of the park is in Montana and 1% in Idaho.

Entrance to Yellowstone National Park

There are five entrances to the park ... we have been through all of them in our trips to Yellowstone over the years:

• North entrance, via US 89, near Gardiner, Montana ... close to Mammoth Hot Springs
• Northeast entrance, near Roosevelt, Wyoming, via US 212, the Beartooth Highway ... closed in the winter
• East entrance, on US20, close to Yellowstone Lake, west of Cody, Wyoming
• South entrance, on US 89, close to West Thumb and Grant, north of Grand Teton National Park
• West entrance, on US20, near West Yellowstone, Montana

The Old Faithful Lodge, a must-see attraction for visitors, is located:

• 113 miles west of Cody, Wyoming
• 137 miles south of Bozeman, Montana
• 98 miles north of Jackson, Wyoming
• 50 miles southeast of West Yellowstone, Montana

Floods in Yellowstone National Park in 2022 have limited access to some areas of the park. Be to check the latest advisories from the National Park Service regarding roads and lodging.

Yellowstone National Park Map Official mao of Yellowstone courtesy of the National Park Service Click for a large image of the map at the Yellowstone National Park official website at NPS

An active geyser at Yellowstone National Park

Interactive Map of the Yellowstone National Park Area

View toward the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park

For More Information about Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park official website at NPS

 

Phone 307.344.7381 for recorded information. For road and weather information, phone 307.344.2117.