Yellowstone National Park, America’s first national park, celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022. Now, at 152 years old in 2024, the park continues to be a treasured American landmark. To commemorate this milestone, here are 152 fascinating facts about Yellowstone National Park.
Established on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park in the U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone Protection Act into law for “the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” Despite never visiting Yellowstone, President Grant explored other areas of the American West, sparking his interest in wildlife preservation.
Humans have inhabited Yellowstone for the last 11,000 years, with 27 Native American tribes residing in the area before the park was founded. The first organized European American expedition explored Yellowstone in 1870, and the railroad arrived in 1883, increasing accessibility to the park. The U.S. Army took charge of overseeing the park in 1886.
Yellowstone stretches across more than 2.2 million acres, larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. The park’s diverse landscape includes forests, grasslands, and water, with over 1,000 native flowering species and 225 invasive plant species. Yellowstone Lake, the largest high-elevation lake in North America, reaches a maximum depth of 430 feet.
The park sits atop an active volcano, the Yellowstone Super Volcano, which boasts more than 10,000 hydrothermal features, including geysers, hot springs, and mud pots. Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest hot spring in Yellowstone, measures up to 330 feet in diameter and over 121 feet deep. Yellowstone is home to more than 500 active geysers, including the famous Old Faithful, which erupts faithfully every 45 to 125 minutes.
Yellowstone’s wildlife includes the largest population of mammals in the lower 48 states, with 67 different species residing in the area. The park is home to the largest free-ranging herd of bison in North America, along with grizzly bears, wolves, elk, moose, and more. Visitors are reminded to maintain a safe distance from wildlife to ensure their protection.
With 1,000 miles of hiking trails, 466 miles of paved roads, and 35 ski and snowshoe trails, Yellowstone offers a range of recreational activities for visitors. The park welcomed a record-breaking 4,860,537 visitors in 2021, making it the busiest year on record.
Yellowstone’s rich history, presidential connections, and celebrity status add to its allure as a national treasure. From the iconic Roosevelt Arch to the luxurious Yellowstone Club, the park continues to captivate visitors with its natural beauty and diverse ecosystem.
As we celebrate Yellowstone’s 152nd anniversary, let’s remember the words of conservationists and leaders who recognized the park’s significance as a symbol of America’s natural heritage. Yellowstone truly embodies the best of the American spirit and remains a beacon of conservation and preservation for generations to come.
