7 Awesome Facts About Yellowstone National Park

The Nation’s First National Park

Established March 1, 1872, Yellowstone was the world’s first national park

One Huge Park

The park covers nearly 3,500 square miles and is in parts of three states: Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The highest point in the park is the 11,372-foot Eagle Peak. 

Wildlife

Yellowstone is home to 285 species of birds, 67 species of mammals, 19 species of fish, six species of reptiles and five species of amphibians.

Waterfalls

There are 290 waterfalls in the park.

Seismic Activity

All of Yellowstone is one massive active volcano. (It hasn’t erupted in more than half a million years.) There is an estimated 2,000 earthquakes at Yellowstone each year.

Geysers

There are a total of 465 active geysers at Yellowstone. Its most well-known geyser, Old Faithful, erupts every 60 to 110 minutes.

Largest Hot Spring

Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in the country.