Yellowstone is the first and oldest national park in the world. The commanding features that initially attracted interest, and led to the preservation of Yellowstone as a national park, were geological: the geothermal phenomena (there are more geysers and hot springs here than in the rest of the world combined), the colorful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, fossil forests, and the size and elevation of Yellowstone Lake. The human history of the park is evidenced by cultural sites dating back 12,000 years. More recent history can be seen in the historic structures and sites that represent the various periods of park administration and visitor facilities development. Ninety-nine percent of the park's 3,400 square miles (2.2 million acres) remains undeveloped, providing a wide range of habitat types that support one of the continent's largest and most varied large mammal populations. Yellowstone is a true wilderness, one of the few large, natural areas remaining in the lower 48 states of the United States. Here, you meet nature on its terms, not yours.

• Canyon Village -
• Grant Village & West Thumb -
• Lake Village -
• Madison -
• Mammoth Hot Springs -
• Norris -
• Old Faithful -
• Tower-Roosevelt -

• See Old Faithful geyser erupt to a height of 100+ feet, once every 45-110 minutes.
• Drive the 2.5-mile loop road at Canyon, and marvel at the colorful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone plunging 1,000 feet. Hike a short, steep path to the brink of Lower Falls.
• Look for wildlife in Hayden Valley, one of the best places to view grizzly bears, herds of bison and coyotes.
• Hike through the largest concentration of petrified trees in the world on Specimen Ridge.