Things to do / Travel Guide
Yellowstone Geography
The 2.2 million acres of Yellowstone National Park make it one of the largest, national parks in the U.S.. It is actually bigger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined! Yet Yellowstone is just the nucleus of the region's natural wonders. The majority of Greater Yellowstone is comprised of the surrounding six national forests, three national wildlife refuges, the gateway towns and many scattered hidden gems. These take up an area more than six times the size of the park itself. This nature-rich region, an interconnected ecosystem, is located primarily in the northwestern corner of Wyoming, spreading north into southern Montana and west into a small sliver of Idaho's northeastern corner.
Montana and Wyoming Geography
Visitors to the Yellowstone region will find themselves exploring some of the most geologically unique and fascinating places in the world. From the famous geysers of Yellowstone to the towering peaks of Grand Teton National Park and the flat, intermountain basin of Jackson Hole to the south, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a mountainous region of diverse micro-climates. The continental divide cuts diagonally through the region from the southeast to the northwest. Surrounding the national parks are a plethora of convenient – and often charming – gateway towns: Montana's Bozeman, Gardiner and Cooke City to the north; West Yellowstone, Montana on the western border; the Wyoming towns of Cody and Dubois to the east; and Jackson, Wyoming to the south.
The northern border of the Greater Yellowstone region is at the town of Helena, stretching east until Billings. The town of Jackson marks the southern-most point, extending east until the town of Meeteesee. In the west, the region's border lies just west of I-15.
Yellowstone Districts and Regions
In addition to providing a much-needed sense of orientation in the vastness of Yellowstone, each of the park's seven distinct districts highlight the park's unique geological wonders. Moving clockwise from the north, Mammoth Country is the driest, lowest and warmest point in the park, serving as a base for winter activities and hosting an array of geothermal terraces, hot springs, and wildlife. Roosevelt Country, in the park's northeast corner, is remote and undeveloped, home to fossil forests, wolves and bison, and the striking peaks of the Absaroka Range. As the second most popular part of the park, Canyon Country offers plenty of visitor services in addition to spectacular views of the 20-mile-long Yellowstone Grand Canyon. Lake Country is home to one of the world's largest Alpine lakes and the largest in-land population of cutthroat trout in the U.S. In the Norris area, visitors will find the most volatile and oldest active geothermal areas in the country, with some of Yellowstone's hottest recorded temperatures. The features change based on the season. You can observe mud pots, geysers, or clear pools depending on the time of year. Geyser Country hosts the most famous feature of the region: Old Faithful, the superstar of geysers. For those brave travelers looking for backcountry adventures, Bechler Corner, in the remote southwest portion of the park, is one of the most remote, hard-to-access, and beautiful areas of the park.
To the south of Yellowstone lies Grand Teton National Park, stretching 40 miles along the compact range. Compared to the enormity of Yellowstone, Grand Teton is relatively small. Its north half is dominated by Jackson Lake and the west is where the Tetons have made a home. Jackson Hole is located just south of the park.
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