The Yellowstone National Park was established on 1th of April 1872 and is the first national park in the world. One of the main park's atraction is volcanic activity. About 2 million years ago, then 1.2 million and again 600 000 years ago catastrophic volcanic eruptions occured here. Last one left caldera 48 kilometers wide by 70 kilometers long. The park spreads on 8 888km² and has the biggest concentration of geysers in the world (over 350), totally the park is harboring more than 10 000 thermal features...
Yellowstone's lifewild includes the American bison, elk, grizzly bear, black bear, more than 200 species of birds... Vegetation types include plants from near-desert vegetation around the North Entrance to subalpine meadows and forests on Mt. Washburn. Lodgepole pine covers about 60 percent of the park and about 80 percent of the forested areas.
The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is roughly 32 kilometers long, measured from the Upper Falls to the Tower Fall area. Depth is 260 to 400 meters; width is 500 to 1 300 meters. The canyon has been rapidly downcut several times, perhaps by great glacial outburst floods. There is still a little deepenning process nowadays. The canyon's shape today is old only 10 000 to 14 000 years. There are two waterfalls - Upper Falls (33 m) and Lower Falls (94 m) that is more then twice the height of Niagara Falls. Specially second one is the park's gem and the best view you can have from Artist point. Waterfalls lei on the boundaries of lava flows and thermal areas. The canyon's colors were created by hot water acting on volcanic rock. But the park got his name thanks river's yellow banks. Yellowstone river travels more than 600 miles to its terminus in North Dakota where it empties into the Missouri River. It is the longest undammed river in the continental United States.
Although main attraction is possible visit by a car along "8"-shape road, the park offers more than 1 600 kilometers of the trail system.
