VISIT PA RK #1 YELLOWSTONE
VISITORS GUIDE WHEN TO VISIT WILDLIFE INSIDE THE PARK
-YELLOWSTONENational Park BY BRENDAN BORRELL • PHOTOGRPAHS BY ANAND VARMA
NATIONAL PARKS ARE WORTH A VISIT. It is our countries legacy. Most of our parks here have something unique to become a designated National Park. And Yellowstone is beyond special, because it is the world’s first national park. It has over 2.2 million acres all packed inside an ancient caldera. It contains geysers, waterfalls, wildlife and scenic beauty. All these wonders are at every turn. What is the most unique about Yellowstone, is the wildlife. It is the only place in the United States where brown bisons have lived continuously since the prehistoric times. In Yellowstone Park, the wonders surrounding you are really unlike anything else. Our first national park is a true marvel to behold; when guests visit Yellowstone, it’s like stepping into another world. It offers truly unique experiences like the spectacular hiking trails, the beautiful views, famous Old Faithful, and geysers shooting water over 100 feet in the air. When the first visitors stumbled upon Yellowstone and tried to report what they saw, news magazines responded, “Thank you, however we do not print fiction.” Peppered with colorful hot springs, mud pots, and breathtaking waterfalls, it is quite easy to understand how one might think it as otherworldly. Nothing else on Earth is quite like Yellowstone. Best of all, there is something for everyone, from children to grandparents.
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Visit Yellowstone and experience the world’s first national park. Marvel at a volcano’s hidden power rising up in colorful hot springs, mudpots, sunsets and geysers.
first park in the nation
When you think about America’s national parks, what probably comes to mind is the first national park—Yellowstone. It is also the first national park in the entire world, established by Congress in 1872, even before the National Park Service was set up in 1916. Yellowstone sits on an active volcano, the source of the more than 10,000 geothermal features in the park, including more than half of the world’s hot geysers. National Parks traveler, Mikah Meyer, made sure he caught the eruption of the famous and best-known of its 500 geysers—Old Faithful, which shoots a column of superheated water up to 42 meters into the air, every 60 to 110 minutes. ”They have geysers that range from Old Faithful to even these huge geysers that are basically holes in the ground that give a glimpse into what the bubbling boiling earth underneath is like.” And some of what bubbles up is just mud. Mikah describes these as ‘mudpots’ as a witch’s cauldron. “They look like some sort of witch’s concoction because you are just walking along this boardwalk and suddenly to your left and your right you’ve got these giant mudlike pools.”
MAY/JUNE 2018
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visiting the park With dramatic peaks and pristine lakes, Yellowstone National Park is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. The multicolored pools swirl around hot springs; verdant forests weave past expansive meadows; and volatile geysers launch streams of steaming water toward the sky. With so much unspoiled natural beauty, it’s no wonder why we suspected John Colter, a scout for explorers Lewis and Clark was embellishing when he first tried to describe Yellowstone’s geothermal curiosities around 1807. Nowadays, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the park is indeed extraordinary. While people traverse its 3,000-plus square miles of mountains, canyons, geysers and waterfalls, be prepared to share the trails with the permanent residents like buffalo, elk and sometimes even grizzlies. Although Yellowstone Park attracts more than four million visitors every year, chances are — unless you spend your entire trip and time at Old Faithful, you won’t see much of them. Yellowstone’s 2.2 million acres creep from the northwest corner of Wyoming into the edges of Idaho and Montana, offering plenty of untouched territory to explore. Plan to carve out a day or two to take in the great views at Yellowstone Lake and the Mammoth Hot Springs. But save some time for the trails through lesser known regions, such as the hot springs of the west Thumb Geyser Basin and the untamed wildlife dotting the northeast Lewis River Channel and Dogshead Loop. While the sheer number of trails and wildlife-watching opportunities seem daunting, remember: you can always come back.
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WHEN TO VISIT The best times to visit Yellowstone National Park are from April to May and then between September and November. These seasons offer mild weather and fewer crowds. July and August are the most popular times and months to visit: the kids are out of school, and the weather is just warm enough to sleep outside.
SAVE MONEY Word of advice, bring your own bed. A space in a campground is much cheaper than a room at one of the park’s lodges. Plus, so many campgrounds come equipped with showers, flushing toilets and even some come with laundry facilities. Skip the summer time because it has the largest influx of tourists; hotel and campground rates end to rise up. You’ll spend less if you visit during the fall. Do your own cooking. While the park does feature a few sit-down restaurants, they can put a dent in your savings. Consider bringing your own food from home in a cooler.
WHAT TO EAT Although there are a few snack shops within the borders of the park, visitors recommend dining at Mammoth General Store. There are in-park cafeterias as well as higher-end restaurants like the Lake Hotel Dining Room and the Mammoth Hotel Dining Room offers big game meats including bison, elk, buffalo and trout.
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Yellowstone National Park has the largest concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states. Grizzly bears are perhaps the #1 sought after (from a distance) mammal visitors like to see.
the wildlife Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison herds have lived continuously since the prehistoric times, and the park’s herd of 4,000 to 5,000 animals represents the last-known wild bison population. Mikah said they really catch visitors’ eyes. “I have this video of what I call a Yellowstone traffic jam which is just basically anytime there’s any sort of animal on the side of the road, everyone seems to stop their car and take pictures or pull over and it’s an instant traffic jam!” However, the bison aren’t the only animals in the park. Yellowstone is home to the largest concentration of mammals in the great lower 48 states, including predators like grey wolves and bears, and large herbivores, like big horn sheep, elk and moose. There are nearly 300 species of birds, 16 species of fish, five species of amphibians, and six species of reptiles. Wild animals, especially females with young, are unpredictable. Keep a safe distance from all the wildlife. Each year, a number of park visitors are injured by wildlife when approaching too closely. Use binoculars or telephoto lenses for safe viewing and to avoid disturbing them. By being sensitive to their needs, you will see more of the animal’s natural behavior and activity. Remember, if you cause an animal to move, you are too close! Yellowstone also has a wide variety of plant life. In the spring and early summer, wild flowers appear in abundance. They are well worth viewing, and it is usually safer to approach them.
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MAMMALS IN THE PARK
Yellowstone’s abundant and diverse wildlife are as famous as its geysers. There are 67 species of mammals including: • Grizzly Bears • Wolves • Moose • Elk • Foxes • Otters • Badgers • Bison
THEIR HABITATS
The Habitat preferences and the seasonal cycles of movement determine, in a general sense, where a particular animal may be at a particular time. Early morning and evening hours are when the animals tend to be feeding and are more easily seen. But remember that the numbers and variety of animals you see can largely be just a matter of luck and coincidence. Check at visitor centers for detailed information.
THE FAMOUS BISON
There are over 4,000 bison residing in Yellowstone and are the #1 cause of summer jams in the park. Traffic can be at a standstill for hours but still we love them. Bison can exceed over 2,000 lbs and cause more human injuries than any other wildlife combined in Yellowstone Park. Bison can exceed speeds of 30 mph, so be sure to stay clear of all wildlife and take precaution.
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VISIT PARK #24 NORTH CASCADES
TAKE THE PARKS HOME WITH YOU WATER SOURCED BY NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK.
VISIT THE NATIONAL PARKS Less than three hours from Seattle, an alpine landscape beckons. Explore jagged peaks crowned by more than 300 glaciers. Listen to cascading waters in forested valleys. Witness a landscape sensitive to the Earth’s changing climate. Help steward the ecological heart of the North Cascades. W W W. N P S .G O V