Backpacking always makes for a fantastic adventure. There’s something invigorating and refreshing about going out into the backcountry trails with only the necessities on your back.
Of course, if you’re going to have a safe and enjoyable time backpacking in Yellowstone National Park, you’re going to need to make sure you pack properly. What you bring with you (and how much) will depend largely on the length of your excursion—a one-day or one-afternoon journey will not require nearly as much gear as a trip where you’ll be having multiple overnight campouts.
Here is a quick overview of the most essential items you should always have with you:
Navigation: Even if you’re just going out for a few hours or for the day, it’s crucial that you have some navigational tools and devices with you so you do not lose track of where you are. This means a map, compass, GPS device, satellite messenger and/or altimeter will all come in handy. Keep in mind that you will be quite isolated when you’re in the back country.
Sun protection: Wear sunglasses, sunscreen and clothes that shield you from the sun so you can avoid getting burned.
First aid: Always bring a simple first aid kit fully stocked with the essentials, as well as foot care products and bug repellent.
Headlamp: If you’re going to be doing any walking when it’s darker outside, make sure you have a headlamp and extra batteries for it.
Knife: A good knife will come in handy in a wide variety of circumstances when you’re spending time in the outdoors. You might wish to bring a couple types of knives with you for use in different scenarios.
Shelter: A simple tent or other type of shelter that you can carry with you at all times is important. Even if you’re not planning on an overnight excursion, it may be beneficial in some cases to carry a light shelter with you for an emergency scenario.
Extra food and water: Always bring more than the minimum required amount of food and water, just in case.
Extra clothes: Bring clothes for a variety of circumstances—more than the minimum amount you think you’ll need. This will be especially beneficial to you if it rains and you get wet.
Fire equipment: Always have plenty of gear with you to start up a fire. This can include matches, a lighter and tinder, such as newspaper or wood shavings. You might also bring a small stove with you if you plan on spending a significant time out in the back country.
Sleeping: If you’ll be doing any overnights, make sure you bring a sleeping bag and pad so you can at least be a bit comfortable on the ground. You can find very light and compact types that have been designed with backpackers in mind.
Have you been waiting for an opportune time to hit the trails and go backpacking in Yellowstone National Park? You’ll have a great experience doing so at just about any time of year, but from our perspective, September is one of the best times of year to do it.
Here’s a quick overview of why we find September to be such an ideal month for backpacking:
Fewer people: The peak times of year for backpacking are July and August, due to the warmer weather and the fact that many kids are on summer break, so it’s a logical time for family vacations. However, by September, the kids are back in school, and the weather is just starting to cool off a bit. This means you can expect a lot less foot traffic out in the back country, so you can really enjoy the solitude you’ve wanted out of your excursion.
Everything’s still open: September is late enough in the season that you can expect a little more solitude along your route, but not so late in the year where you have to worry about trail closures, even up at altitude. Another month or two and snow starts to become a more realistic possibility, particularly up in mountainous areas, but in September you should still be seeing decent weather.
Cooler temperatures: Slightly cooler temperatures mean you might not need to carry quite as much water, and you have a much broader selection of clothing and gear you can wear and carry with you.
Night sky: If you’re going on overnight backpacking excursions, September is a better time of year to see the night sky than July or August. This is because the night comes sooner and lasts longer, allowing you to get a better show out of the stars. You’ll be able to get some great views of a clear, starry sky without having to stay up too late to do so.
Fall colors: While a lot of the trees and foliage in Yellowstone are evergreens, you’ll still see plenty of fall colors popping up during September that can make your backpacking excursion extra special. This is a version of Yellowstone not nearly as many people get to see, as autumn approaches and the greens of summer begin to change to oranges, yellows and reds.
Prices: Because the busy season is over, you’ll be more likely to find some great deals on rates if you go backpacking in September. These deals can be for hiking excursions themselves, or for some of the gear you’ll need to take with you out on the trails. Who doesn’t love a good bargain?
These are just a few examples of some of the biggest benefits of going for a backcountry hike in September, rather than planning it during the summer months. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can plan out the backpacking adventure of a lifetime in Yellowstone National Park, we encourage you to contact Yellowstone Tour Guides today with any questions.
At 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park would seem to be a good candidate for “largest national park.” However, Yellowstone does not currently hold this title. Read on to discover which park tops the size scale and learn other fun facts about Yellowstone National Park and its sister parks.
Largest national park
The largest park in the National Park System is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Reserve in Alaska. In fact, more than half of the national parks in Alaska are larger than Yellowstone National Park. In the contiguous United States, Yellowstone did hold the title for largest national park until 1994. At that time, Death Valley National Monument became a national park. It was also expanded to its current 3 million-plus acres, which beats Yellowstone in size.
Most visited national park
Yellowstone National Park ranks among the top five national parks for the number of visitors it welcomes every year. Great Smoky Mountains National Park typically takes the title.
Highest peak in the park
The highest peak in Yellowstone National Park reaches 11,358 feet. Named Eagle Peak, this crest can be found in the southeastern region of the park.
Features of the park
Yellowstone National Park is home to Yellowstone volcano. The underlying body of magma from this volcano creates a unique hydrothermal system that features five types of hydrothermal landscapes. In total, the park boasts more than 10,000 hydrothermal features:
Hot springs: These are pools of water that are heated by the volcanic activity.
Geysers: When hot springs experience tightening in their plumbing, they occasionally erupt to release the built-up pressure, which creates a geyser.
Mudpots: This type of hot spring is one that is highly acidic and dissolves the rock surrounding it.
Travertine terraces: These terraces are created when hot springs rise through the limestone, dissolve calcium carbonite and deposit the calcite.
Fumaroles: Also referred to as steam vents, these openings release hot steam instead of water.
Animals of the park
Yellowstone National Park is famous for its bison population. This is the only location in the U.S. where these animals have lived continuously for thousands of years. It is the home of the largest bison population in the country on public land.
The park is also home to 66 other mammals. These include grizzly bears, black bears, gray wolves, elk, white-tailed deer and bighorn sheep. In the waters of Yellowstone National Park, you’ll find 11 native species of fish, including trout, whitefish, suckers and graylings. Throughout the park, you can encounter 300 species of birds, including the common loon, golden eagle and trumpeter swan.
Discover more
Learn even more about the park by exploring it in person! Contact Yellowstone Tour Guides for tours, sightseeing and hikes throughout Yellowstone National Park. Since 2001, our experienced guides have been dedicated to showing visitors the beauty of Yellowstone. We look forward to exploring the park with you and helping you discover all its incredible wonders that can’t be found anywhere else on the planet. Reach Yellowstone Tour Guides today at 406-995-2399.
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was the world’s first national park. However, its history stretches back much farther than 1872. We must step into this history to discover how this park was named.
Taking in the large yellow cliffs, it might seem like a straightforward story. Yet, this name was the result of a combination of languages and groups of people who helped give the park its modern nomenclature. Here’s how it happened:
The river: The major river that runs through Yellowstone National Park is Yellowstone River. The park is named for this body of water. But how did the river get its name?
The Minnetaree tribe: In the 1800s, French-Canadian trappers traveled to the area. They encountered the Minnetaree Tribe, who lived in modern Montana. When the trappers asked these Native Americans the name of the river, they responded “Mi tse a-da-zi.” This translates literally as “Rock Yellow River.”
French translation: The trappers took this meaning and translated it to French as “Pierre Jaune” or “Roche Jaune.”
English translation: In 1797, along came David Thompson, an explorer and geographer. He began using the English version, “Yellow Stone.”
Lewis and Clark: These two explorers used both the French and English forms of the name to refer to the Yellowstone River. Eventually, common use solidified the name as Yellowstone.
Other fun facts about Yellowstone National Park
What kind of wildlife can I see at Yellowstone National Park?
Yellowstone National Park offers a diverse landscape that supports an immense variety of wildlife. You can find nearly 300 species of birds in the park! Exploring the waters will reveal 16 different types of fish and five species of amphibians. As you trek around the park, you can also encounter six species of reptiles and another 67 species of mammals. This includes two bear species—watch out!
What kind of landscape will I see at Yellowstone National Park?
You’ll probably find that exploring Yellowstone National Park feels like traveling to another planet. In each section of the park, you’ll encounter incredible land formations that are immensely different than the previous ones. With so many unique features, the park is truly a natural wonder.
Throughout the park, you’ll discover geysers, steam vents, mudpots, hot springs, the Yellowstone River Grand Canyon, mountains, plateaus and more.
What kind of plants grow in Yellowstone National Park?
The flora of Yellowstone National Park is just as diverse as the landscape and other living creatures. A trip through the park will reveal hundreds of wildflowers. You’ll also see many species of shrubs, including Rocky Mountain maple and sagebrush. Nine different conifer trees also grow in the park, as well as a few deciduous species. Yellowstone also features three plant species that are found only in the park: Yellowstone sulfur wild buckwheat, Ross’s bentgrass and Yellowstone sand verbena.
Learn more about the park
For more information on Yellowstone National Park or to plan your next visit, contact Yellowstone Tour Guides. Since 2001, we have been dedicated to showing families the beauty of Yellowstone Nation Park. We offer small-group sightseeing tours, multi-day backpacking experiences and hiking tours. We look forward to exploring Yellowstone with you!
The National Park System has been called “America’s best idea,” and we just so happen to agree with this sentiment. We believe that there is no more valuable resource in all of the United States than the National Park System. The parks provide recreation, peace, escape and solitude to tens of millions of visitors each and every year, and they are consistently rated as one of the most popular recreational destinations in the world.
We are always happy to have an excuse to celebrate these spectacular places, so March 1 is one of our favorite dates on the calendar—it lets us slice into the cake and celebrate Yellowstone’s birthday! This year, Yellowstone’s 148th birthday was a typically huge celebration, and we were thrilled to celebrate our favorite park.
Birthday time is the best time President Ulysses S. Grant can really be regarded as the “father” of beautiful Yellowstone. The heroic Civil War general had settled in to his presidency by the time he signed legislation creating the world’s first national park right here at Yellowstone. It was a truly momentous occasion in the history of conservation and preservation, and we are so pleased and proud that Yellowstone’s 148th birthday allowed us to keep up that tradition of celebrating these moments.
Our team of experienced tour professionals at Yellowstone Tour Guides is keenly aware of our stewardship and preservation role when it comes to our relationship with the park, so having some cake and ice cream every year on March 1 is really just a bonus to a job that we already consider to be the greatest in the entire country.
History of Yellowstone The idea of Yellowstone was first understood by trappers, who came back east in the early 1800s with tales of a place that people really couldn’t believe—steam and geysers from the ground and the descriptions of the terrain were almost too much for a lot of people to comprehend. Later photographic expeditions confirmed what we now know to be true during Yellowstone’s 148th birthday celebrations: there really is no place on earth like this particular national park. Our team at Yellowstone Tour Guides could not be prouder to say that Yellowstone is our office, and we are pleased to come to work every single day and help millions of visitors share in its beauty and splendor.
A place like Yellowstone does not happen by accident. The features and the geography take hundreds of millions of years to form, but it takes special efforts and special people to make this into a “place” that people recognize, love and cherish. Yellowstone was and is a momentous achievement in the history of conservation, and its continued success is instrumental in communicating to the American people just how precious their lands are, especially their public ones.
At Yellowstone Tour Guides, we’re thrilled that you’re potentially planning a visit, and we hope you’ll give us a call so we can help you decide what sights and destinations to prioritize during your trip to Yellowstone!
