Introduction

    "Yellowstone is not a place, but a process."- Michael Leach, Yellowstone Park Ranger

     Since explorers first came to Yellowstone they knew it was spectacular. Not only is it surrounded by mountains and canyons with towering waterfalls, but it also has magma just a couple kilometers down. Now of course millions of tourists don't flock to see this hot spot, as it is called, they come to see what the hot spot produces! These attractions include the four thermal features: geysers, hot springs, fumaroles and mudpots.

    I myself was one of these tourists. Just last summer I went to Yellowstone National Park, America's first National Park, and I was amazed. Photographing the thermal feature was one of my favorite things to do on my trip and so throughout this project you will see many of my photographs. While I was in the park, I attended to numerous talks about the park and its creation but I wanted to learn more about it. I wanted to find out how the thermal features work, what causes them, and how they got there in the first place. 

    But before these questions are answered the basics need to be covered.

Location
    Yellowstone is located in the United States. The park is mostly in Wyoming but is also in Montana and Idaho, as seen in the map below.

Move Mouse Over This to see where Yellowstone is located.

Size
    The park contains 2.2 million acres or 8983 km². This large area allows the wild life that calls the park home, to roam freely.

Number of Visitors per Year
    Over Four MILLION!

World's First National Park
    The park was established March 1, 1872, by the U.S. Congress and by President Ulysses S. Grant. The town Grant Village, in the park, was named in his honor. The park was the first of its kind not only in the United States, but in the world!

   Now you are prepared! Explore the rest of this site, learn and have fun!