Yellowstone National Park is located in 3 of our western states: Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. As we neared the entrance to Yellowstone in Montana none of us (my husband, myself, or our 3 teens) really knew what to expect. We decided to take one of the short loops in the park coming through the east entrance and were completely amazed as we entered another world. Words do not do this park justice. Each stop and site was more interesting than the last. It was truly like entering a world time forgot. Herds of buffalo
were everywhere, at times blocking the roadway, but no one seemed to mind. It was a welcome traffic jam as it was. There was a sign near a group of tall trees that stated you would be fined if you stopped in this area and later we saw why. There was a nest of bald eagles in this tree. It was a totally awesome site. It was easy to tell where the next wildlife site would be, because there would be cars stopped and all of their occupants peering out to see the amazing animals. The wildlife of Yellowstone was nothing short of amazing. There is said to be 67 different types of mammals living in the park. We only saw a small portion of them but they were still very interesting.
It was not uncommon to see moose and elk grazing near one of the area boardwalks around the many geological wonders, or even walking across these areas. The next area of the wonder in Yellowstone was the numerous geological 
sites within the park. There are abundant amounts of bubbling, steamy, and sulfur smelly wonders in the park. Our children constantly complained of the smell, but the beauty far outweighed any bad smells. There are many walks around the bubbling mud pits in the park and it truly is a wonder of nature. Yellowstone allows its visitors to see volcanic earth in action. In addition to the multiple mud pits the park offers visitors a view of tons of geysers including the famous Old Faithful Geyser, which is named for its predicable eruption schedule. I had assumed that since the geysers, even the smaller ones, had sprayed due to volcanic force that the temperature of the mist would be on the warmer side. Exactly the opposite was true, the mist was quite refreshing and cool.
There is also the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone which does not compare to the real Grand Canyon in Arizona, but it is still a spectacular view. It is easy to see why the park has so many visitors each year. I for one can’t wait to go back and would love to be able to see the park in the winter season. There was a series on the Discovery Channel about Yellowstone in winter and was truly an amazing site, something I hope to do very soon.
The history of Yellowstone is extremely interesting. 11,000 years ago the area was home to many groups of Native Americans, who used the area as their home, hunting and fishing grounds and transportation routes. This land was their home until around 200 years ago when the first Europeans came into the area. A young country that was less than 100 years old saw the wisdom and foresight to preserve this natural area for future generations to enjoy. For this reason it is easy to see why this area was picked as the United States’ first National Park in 1872.
I highly urge everyone to go and see Yellowstone!
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