Things To Know And See Your First Time At Yellowstone
The park is a very popular tourist destination and can get very busy, especially during the spring and fall months. During these times, it is very important to take your time and enjoy the scenery. If you’re planning your first time at Yellowstone, there are a few things you should know. These tips will ensure your trip is both safe and fun.
The Grand Prismatic Spring
The Grand Prismatic Spring is the most famous hot spring in Yellowstone, and it’s one of the park’s most popular attractions. At 370 feet in diameter, it’s bigger than a football field and the third-largest spring on Earth. The water is incredibly hot (it’s up to 189 degrees Fahrenheit) and bubbles up in a circle around the center of the spring. The ring of hot water gradually cools as it spreads out across the spring’s massive surface, creating bands of distinct temperatures around each side. These colors are the result of billions of microbes and minerals in the water, as well as sunlight being scattered by mineral particles. The bacteria thrive in the warmer waters and create a rainbow of vibrant colors, with dazzling bright yellows, fierce oranges and deep reds only appearing near the edges of the spring. You can see this incredible rainbow from the boardwalk in the Midway Geyser Basin, but it’s worth a short hike up to the overlook for an even better view. The trail starts at Fairy Falls and climbs 105 feet above Midway Lake.
Old Faithful
If you’re visiting Yellowstone for the first time, then Old Faithful is likely at the top of your to-do list. But, with so many visitors coming to see the world-famous geyser every year, getting the best view can be tough. However, there are a few things you can do to ensure you have a memorable eruption viewing experience. As a rule, it’s best to visit in the shoulder seasons (September or October) when crowds are less likely. Also, avoid times between noon and 6 p.m. when bus tours and visitors are expected to arrive, if you’d like a more intimate experience with the erupting geyser all to yourself. Another thing that’s often overlooked when visiting Yellowstone is the wildlife that lives around and on top of the geyser. Thousands of animals (including bison, elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and even birds) call Yellowstone home.
Yellowstone Lake
There are a lot of things to know and see when visiting Yellowstone for the first time. It’s important to understand the basics and plan ahead to make the most of your trip! One of the most popular activities at Yellowstone is exploring the 136-square-mile Yellowstone Lake. It’s the largest high-elevation lake in North America and is home to many thermal features. It’s also a great place to get out of the crowds and view more wildlife. There are a variety of options for boat tours, fishing, and kayaking on the lake. It’s also important to remember that Yellowstone is constantly changing. This means that you won’t be seeing the same thermal features you saw last year!
The Mammoth Hot Springs
Mammoth Hot Springs, one of Yellowstone’s most stunning attractions, is a geothermal site known for its travertine terraces. They are unlike any other thermal feature in the park. These unique formations are a result of a geothermal system that is connected to an ancient volcano. The Mammoth Hot Springs are made up of limestone, a type of rock that is more soft than other types of rock. The water that comes out of the Mammoth Hot Springs is heated by a partially molten magma chamber deep underground, which radiates heat to the earth’s surface. A few springs in the Mammoth Hot Springs area are active. The Liberty Cap, a 37-foot-high cone that’s unique to the Mammoth Hot Springs, is a spectacular sight. And if you are going to visit Mammoth Hot Springs, make sure you stop by the Lower Terrace boardwalk. This trail connects a number of the most spectacular Mammoth Hot Springs, including New Highland Terrace, Prospect Terrace, Orange Spring Mound, Snow Pond, Bath Lake, White Elephant Back Terrace and Angel Terrace.
When you visit Yellowstone in spring, it’s a great time to see a lot of wildlife that’s ready to get out into the fresh air. And of course, no trip to Yellowstone is complete without watching a geyser erupt, and Old Faithful is one of the most popular ones. But there are plenty of other unique things to do in the park that will make your trip more memorable.
1. Go For A Quiet Walk
A quiet walk in Yellowstone is the perfect way to unwind and soak in the natural wonders of the park. The park’s trails are full of hidden gems from bubbling mud pots to exploding geysers and roaring waterfalls. A walk along a boardwalk loop is a great way to see the colorful hot springs in the park. But it can also be a bit crowded, especially in the summer. If you’re looking for a quieter alternative, consider the Beaver Ponds Trail. This 5-mile loop will take you through sagebrush, forest stands and beaver ponds.
2. The Scenic Drive
If you’re short on time, a scenic drive is the perfect option for seeing Yellowstone Park. It will give you a chance to see most of the major attractions in just one day. Probably the most famous landmark in Yellowstone is the Grand Prismatic Spring, which you can see in lots of postcards. While it’s impossible to see the same rainbow of colors in real life, you will still be blown away by the size and uniqueness of this famous landmark! It’s also one of the best places in the park to see wildlife. You’ll often see grizzly bears, gray wolves, bison, and elk.
3. Watch A Geyser
If you’re a nature buff, you’ll want to take some time to watch a geyser at Yellowstone Park. The area is home to hundreds of these hydrothermal features, a result of the huge volcano under the park’s surface. What makes geysers so interesting is that they erupt when water escaping from cracks in the Earth’s crust pools up with groundwater and super-heats, forcing it to spew out of a vent. That’s why they are a popular attraction for scientists. While Old Faithful is Yellowstone’s most famous geyser, there are many other hydrothermal features that you can see from the park’s boardwalks and paved trails. The park even predicts eruption times for some of these features, so be sure to keep an eye out for them!
4. Hiking
A great way to get some exercise and see some of the most impressive scenery in Yellowstone Park is by taking a hike. The park has hundreds of hiking trails, so you can find something for everyone. Spring is the best time of year to hike, as temperatures are still quite cool and there isn’t much snow on the ground. Fall is also a good time to hike, but be sure to check the weather forecast before heading out! For a scenic and relatively short hike, try the Storm Point Trail near Yellowstone Lake. It’s a popular trail that leads to an overlook of the Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser, which is one of the most-photographed thermal features in Yellowstone.
5. Visit A Hot Spring
Springtime is the best time to visit some of Yellowstone’s stunning hydrothermal features, such as geysers and hot springs. The fewer crowds mean that you’ll get an even closer look at these incredible natural wonders. The water that makes up these springs is heated by magma deep beneath the Earth’s surface, and it flows upward to the surface through cracks or faults in the ground. This creates underground pressure that forces the water to rise to the surface faster than it would normally. While visiting these hot springs, be sure to keep in mind that it’s illegal and dangerous to enter them. Some people don’t realize this, and they’ve accidentally stepped into a hot spring or geyser and suffered burns.
America’s first national park, Yellowstone is known around the world for its geysers, wildlife and pristine lodgepole pine forests. But this magnificent place is fragile and needs your help to thrive!
Protect The Water
Water is key to the health of Yellowstone’s awe-inspiring landscapes, fisheries and wildlife. It drives complex geothermal features, fuels the world’s largest collection of geysers and mudpots, and helps drive tourism that generates millions of dollars in revenue each year. The waters that support these natural ecosystems are fragile and can be threatened by pollution, climate change, invasive species and other human activities. Protecting lakes and rivers within Yellowstone Park is essential to preserving the unique biodiversity that makes these waters special. As a result, it is vital for conservation organizations and businesses in Greater Yellowstone to join forces and advocate for a game plan that embraces how healthy environments support healthy economies. The result would be a stronger, more resilient region that is less vulnerable to economic pressures and other threats, and better able to preserve its unique and abundant diversity of wildlife.
Protect The Forests
One of the most important aspects of preserving Yellowstone Park is to protect its forests. Forests make up 80% of the park’s landscape and are critical to Yellowstone’s ecosystem health. The forest in Yellowstone Park is a complex mixture of species that work together to support each other and the ecosystem as a whole. This is a complicated balance that needs to be maintained. Fire plays a key role in this process. It thins out smaller trees, brush and increases the decay of dead wood which provides nutrients for soil and plants. To help preserve this complex ecosystem, the park uses a policy of natural fires, allowing wildfires to burn when they’re not threatening people or parks and facilities. This is especially important in the high elevations of the park where species like whitebark pine are more susceptible to climate change and invasive diseases. If you’re interested in helping preserve the forests in Yellowstone Park, you can start by donating to conservation groups that specialize in habitat protection. There are many organizations out there that need your help.
Protect The Wildlife
Whether you’re visiting Yellowstone Park for a day or weeks, there are plenty of ways you can help to preserve the wildlife in this beautiful natural treasure. But it starts with treating the park – and its forests, hydrothermal features and wildlife – with respect. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the largest remaining nearly intact temperate-zone ecosystems in the world, yet it is under severe pressure from human development, climate change and wildlife migration corridors. As a result, the region is at risk of losing its healthy and diverse wildlife populations and their unique habitats. The first step in protecting Greater Yellowstone’s wildlife is to protect its migration corridors. These pathways connect and enable animals to travel from public lands to private land and back again. By partnering with private landowners, states and other stakeholders, PERC is working to ensure the health of these critical corridors so that they can support healthy, thriving and resilient wildlife.
Protect The Geothermal Features
Yellowstone Park boasts the world’s most diverse and intact collection of geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. The thermal features in the Park represent the results of millions of years of volcanic activity. Most of Yellowstone lies in a volcanic caldera that formed more than 600,000 years ago, during a period of volcanic activity called the “Yellowstone hotspot.” Here in northwestern Wyoming, the crust is thin enough for heat generated by the Earth’s molten core to make its way to the surface. The heat causes groundwater to become heated and bubble up through a variety of geothermal features. These include geysers (hot springs with restricted “plumbing” that creates pressure—vent on their own timetable), mud pots, and fumaroles. When hydrothermal fluids rise to the surface, they mix with colder groundwaters and leave behind siliceous (SiO2) sinter or calcareous (CaCO3) travertine. These travertine terraces are a particularly aesthetic creation of Yellowstone’s hydrothermal activity, accented by streaks of color from thermophiles living on their surface.
Spring and summer are the best times to see wildflowers in Yellowstone National Park. With more than 3,000 different species, the color explosions are spectacular and a treat for nature lovers!
Best Times To See Wildflowers
From the rainbow-hued hot springs and multi-hued Canyon walls, Yellowstone National Park offers a stunning display of colors year-round. Wildflowers season is a spectacular time to visit Yellowstone National Park. The colorful patchwork of flowers, from the first pasque flower in April to the last aster in September, makes this one of the most dynamic times to experience the Park. However, summer is at its most colorful when wildflowers burst forth in abundance. So, if you’re looking to see a wide range of flowers, late June through mid-July is the peak season.
Rabbitfoot Crazyweed
Rabbitfoot crazyweed is a vibrant purple flower that typically grows in sagebrush meadows and valleys to lower montane. It is commonly seen from April to June. It is a perennial forb that arises from a three to 16 inch deep woody taproot. Its bright rose-purple, pealike flowers form dense racemes borne at the ends of leafless stalks. Its leaves are pinnately divided into paired lanceolate leaflets.
Harebell
Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) is a delicate beauty with small blue-violet bell-shaped flowers that nod from the tips of slender stems. It blooms in spurts from summer to fall. Commonly known as “bluebells,” Harebell is associated with Scotland but can be found in a variety of habitats. It is often self-seeding, especially in rocky soils and crevices.
Indian Paintbrush
The genus Castilleja, also known as Indian paintbrush or prairie-fire, is found in many colors throughout the western U.S. Often described as flowering clusters that resemble a paintbrush dipped in paint, these brightly colored flowers are best seen during June and July. These flowers grow in grasslands and dry sagebrush prairies, and also are abundant in ponderosa pine forests. You’ll likely see them in late spring through early summer, especially around the rims of Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.
Monkey Flower
Monkey Flower Mimulus guttatus blooms in June and July near thermal areas, streambeds and Yellowstone Lake. These flowers are brightly colored and attract insect pollinators. There are many types of wildflowers that can be seen in Yellowstone National Park, but Lewis’ monkeyflower is one of the most common species in the area. It’s a monoecious plant that produces a bright yellow petal together with orange spots that attract insect pollinators.
A trip to Yellowstone Park is not complete without exploring the hundreds of different wildlife species that call this place home. Whether it’s big, small or somewhere in between, these animals are unique and captivating.
Black Bear
Black bears are highly adaptable to the varied vegetation of their habitat. They eat a variety of plant tubers, rodents, insects, baby elk, pine nuts, grasses, and more. The Black Bear is one of the most elusive animals in Yellowstone. For a good chance of seeing one, you’ll want to plan your trip during fall or winter.
Elk
One of Yellowstone’s keystone species, elk have been a mainstay in the park for thousands of years. Their stoic nature and majestic presence have helped shape the park’s unique ecology. They can be seen year-round in the park, but are more common early in the morning and late at night. They prefer large meadows and recently logged areas.
Bison
The bison are one of the most popular wildlife animals to see in Yellowstone National Park. Depending on the time of year, you can expect to see herds of up to 5-7 bison gathered together in grasslands throughout the park. They are also known to migrate up to 70 miles between their summer and winter ranges. This is an amazing feat to see in the wild!
Coyote
Coyotes are one of the most intelligent creatures in the animal kingdom. They are extremely adaptable and can thrive in a variety of environments. In Yellowstone, coyotes are found in a variety of habitats including grasslands, meadows, forests and mountains. They are quite vocal and can be heard most frequently during dawn and dusk.
Wolf
Wolves are one of the unique species that make Yellowstone an exciting place to visit. They are easy to spot and can be exciting to watch in the wild. Wolf packs are fiercely protective of their territories that can range from 30 to 2,500 square miles. So it’s very important to keep your distance when observing them!
