Yellowstone is one of the most famous parks in the entire world. It is known for its unique geological features, variety of animals, and of course for its most famous resident: the geyser Old Faithful.
But if you’ve never really studied the intricacies of Yellowstone National Park, you may not be aware of exactly how unique it is.
There are features of Yellowstone that can’t be found anywhere else in the world, so learning a bit about what makes it truly special will help ensure you won’t miss some of the most spectacular parts of the park when you visit.
Much more than a simple forest, Yellowstone contains a wealth of interesting history and natural riches, some of which you may not yet know. Read on to learn more about these fascinating facts about Yellowstone:
15 Incredible Facts About Yellowstone National Park
- Yellowstone Boasts an Incredible Concentration of Mammals
- Yellowstone Contains a “Supervolcano”
- Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1994
- Yellowstone Lake Freezes in the Winter
- Yellowstone is Home to the Oldest Bison Herd in North America
- There Are Almost 300 Waterfalls in Yellowstone
- Half of the World’s Hydrothermal Features are Found in Yellowstone
- Old Faithful is Actually Not Very Faithful
- Yellowstone Was the World’s First National Park
- There Are Between 1000-3000 Earthquakes a Year in Yellowstone
- There are over 1500 Archeological Sites
- Truman Everts Was Stranded in Yellowstone for 37 Days
- Yellowstone was Originally Nicknamed Wonderland
- Yellowstone is Home to the Largest High Elevation Lake in North America
- Yellowstone Has its Own Grand Canyon
1. Yellowstone Boasts an Incredible Concentration of Mammals
There is no other place in the lower 48 states with a larger concentration of mammals than Yellowstone National Park. In addition to the park’s famous white-tail deer, bison, and grizzly bears, the park is home to 64 other species of mammals. Ranging from carnivorous predators to small herbivores, Yellowstone is one of the best places in the US to visit for those who love animals.
2. Yellowstone Contains a “Supervolcano”
While the image you have in your head of a volcano – likely a huge, conical mountain – is what many of them look like, a volcano is actually any geological formation wherein the earth’s magma approaches the surface. Yellowstone sits right on top of one, and it’s one of the biggest volcanos in the country. The Yellowstone Caldera is the living remnant of the most recent super eruption almost a million years ago.
3. Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1994
The wolf population in Yellowstone dwindled to zero after colonial settlers began to invade the area. Unable to protect their livestock from wolves, they methodically hunted them until they no longer existed, making the local ecosystem go haywire. This grave mistake wasn’t corrected until 1994 when the National Parks Service led an effort to reintroduce wolves to the park over several years by relocating members of Canadian wolf communities.
4. Yellowstone Lake Freezes in the Winter
Despite the incredibly large areas of intense geothermal features in Yellowstone, it gets so incredibly cold in the winter that its largest lake still manages to freeze over every year. The lake is quite cold year-round with average temperatures hovering around 41º F, but come December and January, the ice that forms on top can get as thick as two feet.
5. Yellowstone is Home to the Oldest Bison Herd in North America
When settlers