Yellowstone National Park Facts

Yellowstone National Park Facts

Yellowstone is America’s First National Park. It has numerous American Icons that brings in millions of tourists each year! For those who have had the pleasure to visit this magnificent park easily understand the importance of this crown jewel and frequently talk about their fond memories and dreams of going back again someday. I hope you enjoy these fun facts about Yellowstone and perhaps inspires you to visit this treasure!

 

Yellowstone National Park Facts – History 

Yellowstone National Park is the oldest official National Park

Yellowstone National Park became a National Park on March 1st, 1872

President Ulysses S. Grant established Yellowstone as the world’s first National Park

Yellowstone National Park is also a designated World Heritage Site and designated Biosphere Reserve.

More than half of the parks 4 million visitors visit during June, July, and August.

Since 2008, annual visitation in Yellowstone has increased by more than 40 percent

Yellowstone National Park Facts – Geography and size

96% of Yellowstone is located in Wyoming, 3% in Montana and 1% in Idaho

The highest point in Yellowstone is Eagle Peak at 11,358 feet.

The lowest point in Yellowstone is Reese Creek at 5,282 feet

Yellowstone National Park is 3,472 square miles and measures 63 miles north to south and 54 miles east to west.

Yellowstone is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

There are 5 park entrances and 466 miles of roads.

Yellowstone is 5% covered by water; 15% by grassland; and 80% by forests.

There are more than 15 miles of boardwalk in the park

Approximately 1,000 miles of hiking trails can be found in Yellowstone with 92 trailheads and 301 backcountry campsites

Yellowstone National Park Facts – Geothermal, volcano, waterfalls and more

The water that erupts from Old Faithful is 204 degrees Fahrenheit. Most eruptions last 1.5 to 5 minutes and shoot 130 feet into the air.  Old Faithful erupts every 92 minutes on average.

Maximum depth of Yellowstone Lake is 430 feet, on average the lake is 140 feet deep and has 141 miles of shoreline

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River has a depth of 900 feet

Yellowstone has 1000 to 3000 earthquakes annually.

Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in the continental U.S. at 692 miles long.

The only active super volcano in the world that is located on land is in Yellowstone.

1,000­ to 3,000 earthquakes occur annually in Yellowstone

More than 500 active geysers can be found in Yellowstone (more than half the world’s geysers)

There are at least 290 waterfalls found in the park.

More than 10,000 hydrothermal features can be found in the park.

Yellowstone National Park Facts – Wildlife and Flora

2 species of bears live in Yellowstone – Black bears and grizzlies

Yellowstone has the largest, free-roaming herd of bison in the world.

Canadian lynx can be found in the park, which is considered to be threatened species.

67 species of mammals are found in Yellowstone

285 species of birds

16 species of fish

5 species of amphibians

6 species of reptiles

There are 1,000+ species of native flowering species

186 species of lichens can be found in the park

Yellowstone National Park Facts – Weather

Yellowstone’s Record High was 99ºF in 2002 (Mammoth Hot Springs)

Yellowstone’s Record Low was -66ºF in 1933 (West Entrance, Riverside Station).

The Average daily temperature at Mammoth Hot Springs: January: 9ºF and in July: 80ºF

Check out all of our Yellowstone NP posts to learn more about this great National Park

Check out all of the National Parks in Wyoming!