Yellowstone National Park Attractions

Yellowstone National Park attractions are almost too numerous to count, from extraordinary wildlife like grizzlies, elk, and wolves to extraordinary geothermal features like fumaroles, mud pots, and geysers.

The titles “America’s First National Park” and the “World’s First National Park” both belong to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, which was established in 1872. The park is so immense that it is also shared by Montana and Idaho. In fact, at just over 3400 square miles, Yellowstone Park is larger than the state of Rhode Island. It’s not surprising why park tours have become increasingly popular.

Yellowstone Park Attractions

There simply is no other place in the world like Yellowstone National Park. The park was created to protect the many geological features and archaeological treasures contained within its boundaries.

Here is a partial list of the amazing Yellowstone National Park attractions that visitors can enjoy:

Yellowstone Lake – At over 7,700 feet above sea level, Yellowstone Lake is America’s highest freshwater lake and the largest body of water within the park with over 110 miles of shoreline.

Yellowstone Caldera – Measuring an impressive 34 miles by 45 miles, Yellowstone Caldera was created through a series of “super” eruptions dating back over 2 million years ago. These volcanic “super-eruptions” are the reason Yellowstone Caldera is sometimes called the “Yellowstone Super Volcano”, North America’s largest volcanic system.

Old Faithful Geyser -The Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park, which is also part of the Old Faithful Historic District, is home to Castle Geyser, Beehive Geyser, Lion Geyser and of course, the most famous geyser of all, Old Faithful Geyser. The regular eruptions of Old Faithful Geyser occur on average about 90 minutes apart, spewing approximately 5000+ gallons of hot water and steam into the air as high as 120 feet or more. Old Faithful Geyser is just one of 300 geysers located within the park, which incidentally make up two-thirds of all the geysers in the world!

Yellowstone Archaeological Sites – To date, more than 1000 Indigenous American archaeological sites have been identified within Yellowstone National Park, dating back over 11,000 years.

Continental Divide – Another feature of Yellowstone Park is the great Continental Divide, where the watershed on the west side of the Rocky Mountains that drains to the Pacific Ocean is separated from the watershed to the east that drains to the Atlantic Ocean.

Yellowstone Petrified Forest – Ancient trees buried by ash and soil become petrified forests and Yellowstone National Park is home to one of the largest petrified forests in the world.

Yellowstone Waterfalls – Along with Upper Yellowstone Falls (at 109 feet) and Lower Yellowstone Falls (at 308 feet) Yellowstone National Park has a total of 290 waterfalls within the park.

Geothermal Areas of Yellowstone – Yellowstone Park is considered to be located on one of the world’s prime “mantel hotspots”, which accounts for the more than 10,000 geothermal features (half of the world’s total) found within the park. Visitors to Yellowstone can witness everything from geysers and fumaroles (a volcanic gas vent) to hot springs and boiling mud pots.

Yellowstone Wildlife – One of the more popular Yellowstone Park attractions is the abundant wildlife within the park including large animals like the Lynx, Grizzly Bears, Elk, Moose, Mountain Goats, Big Horn Sheep, Mountain Lions, and the Gray Wolf.

Old Faithful Inn – Built in 1903 within view of Old Faithful Geyser is Old Faithful Inn, the world’s largest and one of America’s few remaining timber log hotels. This hotel is a favorite Yellowstone National Park attraction and a National Historic Landmark where guests can marvel at the massive 85 foot stone fireplace located in the huge dining hall.

All-Inclusive Yellowstone Park Tours

Many of the attractions at Yellowstone National Park are included as part of our fully escorted, 8-day Yellowstone National Park Tours, which also include visits to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Mammoth Hot Springs, and the Grand Tetons.

All our Caravan US tours are all-inclusive and always affordably priced.

Visit the Yellowstone National Park Tours Review page to read what others have said about the attractions at Yellowstone National Park.

To book this Caravan tour, please call us toll-free at 1-800-CARAVAN (227-2826).