Kate Twomey, Junior – TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
If you enjoy hiking, bison, and strange natural phenomena you won’t see anywhere else, Yellowstone is a great place to visit. Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming and covers 3,471 mi²; for reference, that’s larger than the state of Rhode Island. Yellowstone was founded in 1872 and has since become a popular tourist destination. It’s impossible to see the whole park on one trip, but after a week-long vacation there last summer, I can give you an idea of what you’ll find.
Yellowstone has an incredible amount of varied terrain, from grasslands to forests and canyons to geyser fields. When we first entered Yellowstone, we drove for miles through golden fields, and within the first hour, we spotted a huge herd of bison. The herd had to include over 100 animals, including many young calves. We pulled over to get a better look, not realizing this would be a common sight over the following days.
Some of the most famous sights in Yellowstone are the geysers, including Old Faithful, but that’s hardly the only one, or the biggest. Old Faithful is one of the most reliable ones, in that it goes off very regularly, but there are geysers scattered all over the park, sometimes whole fields of them. One of the most surprising things about Yellowstone was how we could pull over to almost any inconspicuous-looking path off the main road and end up seeing 30-foot geysers, bubbling sulfur pits, or groves of strangely twisted trees.
The hot springs in Yellowstone were another highlight. The best one we found was the Grand Prismatic Spring. The spring is over 100 yards across, but its vibrant colors are what makes it so amazing to see.
The center is a deep blue which lightens through greens and yellows as you approach the edges. The outermost parts of the spring are bright oranges and reds. It was unlike any body of water I’d ever seen before, and pictures surely don’t do it justice.
Last on my list of must-see attractions at Yellowstone is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. While it pales in size to the Grand Canyon itself, Yellowstone Canyon is still an incredible sight to behold. There are many vantage points from which you can look for miles down the canyon, including great views of the massive waterfall at one end. Additionally, if you get there at the right time, just before sunset, the walls of the canyon seem to almost glow golden. It puts into perspective just how large the park, and the natural world, really are; we are mere specks on the side of a valley.
These are just some of the biggest highlights, but by no means do you need to see them all to have a great time. If you would prefer to avoid the crowds or are just looking to get a good hike in, there are plenty of other opportunities in the park. No matter where you go in Yellowstone, you’re assured to see
something spectacular.