FAQ

It’s named after the Yellowstone River, the major river running through it. The river gets its name from the Minnetaree Indians, who called it Mi tse a-da-zi, or Yellow Rock River, most likely due to the yellowish formations of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The name was passed on to French trappers, who called it Roche Jaune, later rendered by American trappers as Yellow Stone.

Well, it’s larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. It covers 3,472 square miles, which includes over 1,000 miles of trails, 52 picnic areas, 900 historic buildings and about 290 waterfalls.

No. More than half of Alaska’s national park units are larger, including Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, which is the largest unit (13 million acres) in the National Park System.

At 11,358 feet, Eagle Peak in the southeastern part of Yellowstone is the highest.

Yellowstone is in the top ten national parks for number of recreational visitors.

Swimming is not recommended in most lakes and streams because they can be dangerously cold. Firehole Canyon, near Madison Junction, has a swimming area popular in summer. Soaking in thermal features is illegal. However, the Boiling River—north of Mammoth Hot Springs—where a large hot spring enters the Gardner River, allows the hot and cool waters to mix into a temperature comfortable enough to soak in.

Yellowstone has more than 10,000 hydrothermal features, 500 of which are are geysers (300 active ones). That’s over half of all the world’s geysers.

Basic prediction of Old Faithful is dependent upon the duration of the previous eruption. The average eruption is every 92 minutes. During visitor center hours, geyser statistics and predictions are maintained by the naturalist staff.

During an eruption, the water temperature at the vent has been measured at 204°F (95.6°C). The steam temperature has been measured above 350°F.

The Yellowstone Caldera is a volcanic caldera and a dormant supervolcano located within the park. A “supereruption” from the Yellowstone Supervolcano is not predicted to happen anytime remotely soon.

Yellowstone experiences 1,000 to 2,000 minor earthquakes every year. But fear not…the chances of feeling one are pretty slim.

Yes. Yellowstone National Park is home to 67 species of mammals, 285 species of birds, 16 species of fish, six species of reptiles, five species of amphibians and more than seven aquatic nuisance species.

That depends on where you are, how long you’re here, what season it is and what kind of mood the wildlife is in.

Always Open: No matter what time of year, 24 hours a day.

The North Entrance is accessible year-round through Gardiner, Montana. The West Entrance near West Yellowstone, Montana usually opens for the year on the third Friday in April at 8 a.m. The other three entrances open by mid-May.

Although an entrance pass is required to enter Yellowstone National Park, vehicle reservations are not needed. You are encouraged to purchase an entrance pass before arriving to save time, but you may also purchase passes at any entrance station upon arrival.

The Grand Loop takes between 4 to 7 hours to drive in full. During the summer season, cars are the best option for taking a trip around Yellowstone unless you are riding with a bus tour or concessionaire that provides transportation.

The Grand Loop Road in Yellowstone is the main way to get to the attractions in the national park. This stretch from Madison Junction to the exit for the Old Faithful area is the most popular and has the most geyser basins.

No, but paid campsites will allow you to sleep in your car if you insist. Yellowstone does not allow overnight parking in attraction parking lots, trailheads, or on the roadside. Only visitors who have reserved rooms one of the many lodging options can park their cars overnight.

There are approximately 350 identified waterfalls of more than 15 feet in Yellowstone. Many can be seen from roadside trails.