Attractions and Sightseeings in Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park has so many unique attractions in one small area that it is impossible to cover them all, much like it is impossible to see them all in one visit. This is a list of places where everyone should go and see at least on there first visit. Remember to keep the Map of the park; they give you when you enter. It shows how to get to all of the attractions.
Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin
The must-see geyser is Grand. Eruption predictions for this and a few other geysers are posted in the Old Faithful Visitor Center. Grand is the largest predictable geyser in the world. It is larger and lasts longer than Old Faithful. More importantly, it is very spectacular and quite pretty. Grand can not be predicted as accurately as Old Faithful so some waiting is required. Grand is well worth the wait.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
The Lower and Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River and the Canyon are spectacular. The scenery in Yellowstone is on an intimate scale but this is not true of the canyon... The colorful canyon walls and waterfalls are beautiful and worth exploring.
Hayden Valley
This valley, centrally located in Yellowstone, is the first place to go to see wildlife in Yellowstone. As you drive along this beautiful, broad valley you are likely to see herds of bison, perhaps some elk, and the occasional grizzly bear. The valley also offers a great view of the Yellowstone River.
Lower Geyser Basin / Fountain Paint Pots
These thermal areas feature regularly-erupting geysers, hot springs, and a fascinating mud pool which often strikes visitors as something from another world.
Midway Geyser Basin
Excelsior Geyser reveals a gaping crater 200 x 300 feet with a constant discharge of more than 4,000 gallons of water per minute into the Firehole River. Also in this surprising basin is Yellowstone's largest hot springs, Grand Prismatic Spring. This feature is 370 feet in diameter and more than 121 feet in depth.
Yellowstone IMAX Theatre
Six-story high screen with six-channel digital surround sound, "Yellowstone" highlights the history, wildlife and geothermal aspects of our country's first national park. An adventure that will guide you through the National Park, allowing you to view its majestic wildlife and the grandeur of its scenery.
101 South Canyon Street P.O. Box 504 West Yellowstone, MT 597 Phone: (406) 646-410058
Petrified Forests
A favorite of kids of all ages, Yellowstone "forests of stone" are the fossilized remains of ancient plants and standing trees from Yellowstone past. Sub-tropical and cold-climate varieties remind us of the ever-changing climate that Yellowstone has experienced over the eons.
Porcelain Basin
This basin is a small geyser area and a 1 mile boardwalk. A lot of people visit here, but it's a good place to watch the ground bulge from underground pressure.
Tower-Roosevelt
You can use the riding trails and have cookouts in the Tower-Roosevelt area, check out the Petrified Tree, and hike on trails through the Lamar Valley or to Specimen Ridge with its unusual fossils.
West Thumb
A small geyser basin and views of Lake Yellowstone are worth stopping for at West Thumb, which also has a visitor center and a warming hut if you're here in winter.
Yellowstone Lake
Sitting in the bowl of a 600,000 year old volcanic caldera, Yellowstone Lake is a wild and mysterious phenomenon. You can boat and fish in Yellowstone Lake or simply sit along the shore and watch the waves. In the winter, you will sometimes see otters and coyotes, on the ice at lake's edge.
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