Wildlife
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Beverly
Yellowstone teems with wildlife, including 61 species of mammals. Tourists can watch bison and elk gather around the Lamar River, watch gray wolves run with the pack through Hayden Valley or gaze at grizzly bears. Yellowstone-Glacier Adventure Inc., a Montana-based travel agency, offers custom-designed wildlife safaris through the park, lasting from one day to a week, with a licensed National Park Service guide. The tours enable visitors to see the animals up close by either skiing or hiking through their natural environment. Each leg of multiday tours focuses on a different animal each day, including grizzly bears, elk, wolves, antelope and bison.
Natural Wonders
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Richie Diesterheft
Yellowstone encompasses some of the planet's most famous wonders. On package tours, visitors can see Old Faithful, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs and the Firehole River, to name a few. Tours lasting from four to seven days are available. Online travel supplier Tours4Fun offers packages that include day-long stops at each of these sites, as well as nearby attractions located outside the park.
Photography
Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Shazeen Samad
Photographers could spend a lifetime trying to capture Yellowstone's beauty. Dozens of companies guide visitors through the park year round so they can photograph the vast array of wildlife and other natural sights. The National Park Service has authorized a limited number of companies to guide photography tours through the park. Safari Yellowstone, a Montana-based company, takes groups on custom-designed photo excursions. Guides point out the best locations for photos and offer expert advice.
History and Culture
Yellowstone has a deep history that incorporates Native American culture, Old West ghost towns and famous paleontological sites. Vacationers can spend a day exploring the famous Oregon or Pony Express Trails, learn what it was like to pan for gold in the now-ghost town of Virginia City, Wyoming, or learn about dinosaurs at the park's many museums. The park also is home to Native American reservations, rodeo venues and annual events that include folk dancing, bronc riding and Old West reenactments. Many travel agencies can arrange excursions that include some of these attractions.
Fun Facts
Yellowstone has almost half the world's hydrothermal features, including more than 300 geysers, according to the National Park Service. One of the world's most active volcanoes resides under Yellowstone National Park.
In the lower 48 states, the park is the only place where wild bison have survived continuously.
