Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is the largest national park in the world. Established in 1872 by an Act of Congress, the park was known as Yellowstone, by the way the tribe of Indians called the water Minnetaree that crosses the land: the river that springs from the yellow rock.   

Located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, the park occupies an area of nearly 5470 square kilometers, along the length and the width whom the roads are arranged. Yellowstone is in the territories of three states: Wyoming, southwestern Montana and southeastern Idaho State. In the park you can get through five entries: Gardiner. West Yellowstone, Jackson, Cooly and Cooke City and is crossed by the parallel of 45 grades north latitude.

The first historical evidence of the human existence in this area dates back 12,000 years, and the problem is put over the traces which were left by the nomadic tribes. After coming of Europeans, Bannocks Indians were those to master these lands.

In the winter of 1806-1807, John Colter left the Americans Lewis and Clark expedition and began to explore one area. Colter spent three years in the wilderness area, returning, finally, to St.Louis and storying about the beauties and wonders seen in Yellowstone. Unfortunately, his stories were considered by his fellow citizens as hallucinations of a madman.

The expedition, which finally laid the important region, organized by the explorers was the Washburn, Langford and Doane, in 1870, when there were discovered the waterfalls of the Yellowstone river, mud volcanoes, Yellowstone Lake and Great Fountain Geyser. After the expedition reports were prepared, and published articles about particular phenomenons occurring in the area. Thus, two years later, the region was declared a national park and one of the expedition’s members, Nathaniel Langford, became the first manager of the park.

In terms of geology, Yellowstone crossed three active volcanoes periods, which began 2.1 million years ago, and which generated a volcanic plateau located at approximately 1.950-2.550 m altitude above sea level. The most important feature of the park is given by the geothermal phenomenon: geysers, hot springs, mud volcanoes and mofettes.

Traveler’s eyes are attracted by four major points of tourist interest: the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone river, Thermal springs of Mamut , geysers and Yellowstone Lake.