If you love the great outdoors full of diverse wildlife and subalpine forests then Yellowstone National Park should definitely be on your bucket list. It's revered as the first National Park in the United States and is gushing with geothermal features such as the famous Old Faithful Geyser, colorful hots springs, and mudpots. But there's definitely more to see here as the park also boasts hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles, several of which are either endangered or threatened. This makes trekking around Yellowstone extra exciting as you witness the beauty of nature unfold. Don't get lost in this 3,468.4-square mile national park by downloading the Yellowstone National Park Travel Guide and Offline Map.
1. Old Faithful Geyser
This iconic geyser is definitely something to check off your list of places to see during your lifetime. It's a great representation of the power of nature as it can shoot 14,000 to 32,000 liters of boiling water to a height of 106 to 185 feet (32 to 56 m) lasting from 1 1⁄2 to 5 minutes. Geysers like Old Faithful are only formed under specific conditions, making them relatively rare. Magma under the Earth’s surface superheats pockets of underground water, building pressure that eventually pushes the water upwards.
2. Grand Prismatic Spring
The Grand Prismatic Spring is thing of beauty to behold. It was named such for its striking coloration that matches the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. The spring is approximately 370 feet (110 m) in diameter and is 160 feet (50 m) deep making it the biggest spring in the United States and the third biggest in the world! The brilliant colors can be attributed to the bacteria mats that live in and around the springs. Depending on the temperature of the water these bacteria turn different colors. In the summer, the mats turn orange and red and in the winter the mats are usually dark green.
3. Lamar Valley
Lamar Valley is your best bet at observing wildlife in its natural habitat. Although not an assurance this is best place you'll be able to spot grizzlies and wolves. Even if you don’t see any of the highly sought after carnivores, Lamar Valley is full of bisons, elk, bison, deer, otters, osprey, bald eagles, and even coyotes. The valley itself is quite a stunning sight, flanked by snow capped mountains over the Lamar River making it a worthwhile visit even without the wildlife.
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