Page 578 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

576  THE ROCKIES

f Yellowstone National Park

One of the marvels of the world, and the country’s
oldest national park, this wild wonderland spreads
across the three states of Wyoming, Montana, and
Idaho. Its heart is a volcanic plateau at an average
elevation of 8,000 ft (2,438 m), housing over 10,000
hot springs and geysers – more than half of the world’s
total. Alongside the spectacular shows of geothermal
activity, it has dense forests, towering peaks, deep An elk crossing the road in the park
river canyons, and enough outdoor recreation to Livingston
last a lifetime. The 175-mile (282-km) Grand
Loop Road does a full circuit of the main
sights. Lodging is often booked solid, so Gardiner Cooke City
visitors should reserve in advance. Montana
Wyoming Northeast Entrance
Mammoth Hot Springs Yellowstone
. Mammoth Tower-Roosevelt Red Lodge
Hot Springs
Hundreds of geothermal Gardiner
springs bubble up in
Yellowstone, forming
colored pools of boiling
hot, mineral-rich water. Roaring Mountain Lamar
The mineral content Canyon Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
drapes delicate curtains Village
of marble-like travertine Steamboat Geyser Norris
over the cascading
terraces of stone.
West Mad ison Madison
Entrance
Central Plateatu Fishing Bridge
Great Fountain
Geyser Lake Village
Grand Prismatic
Spring Bridge Bay East Entrance
MT
Cody
ID
Old Faithful
Yellowstone Lake
Lone Star
Geyser West Thumb
Firehole Shoshone Lake Village Southeast Arm
Grant
Lewis South Arm
Grand Prismatic Spring Lake
The 370-ft- (113-m-) wide Grand
Approximate Caldera Boundary
Prismatic Spring lies close to Old Faithful. Yellowstone
The rainbow-colored hot spring, lining the Lewis
bank of the Firehole River, is one of
the world’s largest.
South
Entrance
. Old Faithful Geyser
Named for its precise 90-minute Jackson
eruption cycle, Old Faithful is the
park’s icon. Its steaming plume
shoots as high as 120–180 ft (36–55 m)
and lasts 2 to 5 minutes. Visitors line
up on the wooden boardwalk to
watch it spurt nearly 8,400 gallons
(31,797 liters) of water per eruption.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp592–3 and pp594–5

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