What You Should Know About Yellowstone National Park

Above, Lower Yellowstone Fall. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Over the years, I have been to Yellowstone National Park three times. The place never ceases to amaze me.

The crowds in recent years have gotten worse. The last time I was there, it was a zoo. I couldn't wait to get out.

The best time to visit, in my opinion (and experience) is before summer vacation begins in late May or early June. Instead of driving into the park, I found it better and more enjoyable to take a bus tour and leave the driving to someone else.

USA Today has posted an article on five facts of Yellowstone National Park.

They begin it with:

Of all the beautiful places across America, Yellowstone National Park is particularly special. 

Yellowstone’s mesmerizing hydrothermal features and spectacularly varied landscapes make it abundantly apparent why the land should be protected. As a plaque near the park’s Madison Information Station reads: 

“Here at the junction of the Firehole and Gibbon Rivers on September 19, 1870, members of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition gathered around a campfire on the last evening of their historic exploration of the Yellowstone country and discussed the astounding natural wonders they had seen. There emerged an idea, expressed by Cornelius Hedges, that there should be no private ownership of these wonders but that the area should be preserved for public enjoyment. Others shared these views, and on March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Act establishing Yellowstone as the world’s first National Park.” 

But there’s more to that than it seems. Here are five things park lovers should know about Yellowstone National Park.  

To read more, go here.