Yellowstone National Park
By: Kylee Hoskins
Yellowstone Intro
Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming and spreads into Idaho and Montana. Canyons, springs, forests, and geysers cover the entire park. There are over 40 major waterfalls in Yellowstone. Old Faithful is a very popular geyser and erupts every 91 minutes. This supervolcano attracts millions of tourists each year.
Old Faithful In Action
Bears In Yellowstone
History Of Yellowstone
History
Yellowstone is know to be the first national park in the United States. The park was official 1872 on March 1st. The park is used show the amazing wildlife within the park.
Geology
Yellowstone is home to many geysers, also to Yellowstone Caldera; a super volcano far that has had three major erruptions in the past 2.1 million years, each with about 600,000 to 800,000 years in between. The last eruption was 640,000 years ago, and is know to have been devastating. There have also been about 70 smaller erruptions, the last being about 70,000 years ago. The volcano is slowly causing geothermic activity and the caldera is noted to have swelled almost three inches each year, with recent activity slowing to only about a centimeter each year since 2007.
1988 Fire
In 1988 a very large fire occured that destroyed 36% of the park (Over 700,000 acres). Serveal small fires originally started out, though wind and drought formed the many fires into a very large one. After the damage was done, planes began dropping grass seeds on the damaged land and trees were induvidualy planted.
Climate
Summer
Summer days are usually in the 70's and the 80's. Nights will have cold and sometimes at higher heights below freezing temperatures
Winter
Days in winter are about 0 to 20 degrees fahrenheight. Nights are quite cooler, reaching sub-zero temperatures. Each year, there is about 150 inches of snow in the lower elevations, but higher elevations can get up to twice that.
Fall and Spring
Temperatures during the day are from 30 to 60* F, and move into the 10's during the night. It has been known to snow even in the spring and fall. The weather in Yellowstone is unpredictable, and can change on a moments notice. Thunderstorms are very common in the afternoons.
Activites in Yellowstone
Many Many Things
So many activites go on in and near Yellowstone all year round. From snowmobiling to skiing in the winter. There is also horse back riding, climbing, biking, hiking, fishing, rafting and camping. There are other events such as powwows, rodeos, and there are also museums to visit. There are many tours arond the park, even stagecoach tours. One can always find an event, activity, or festival to experience in or near Yellowstone.
Camping
A lot of families will camp in Yellowston. Twelve different campgrounds are located in Yellowstone. Most people who plan on camping in Yellowstone make reservations for the best spot. For more information about camping Yellowstone go to http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
Hiking
Hiking in Yellowstone is a great way to get some excersize and go and explore the great wonders of wildlife. Most hikers go on their adventure during the day time as you more safe and can see your surroundings. If you wish to hike in Yellowstone when it is dark a permit is required.
Fun Facts
Earthquakes
Yellowstone experiences about 1,000 to 3,000 earthquakes every year. This is mainly caused by the super volcano located under Yellowstone. Some are strong enough to be felt in Montana and Idaho. Earthquake swarms are fairly common in Yellowstone, which have happend about 80 times in the past 15 years. The earthquake activity is monitored by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Most people do not feel earthquakes with a magnitude less than 3.0, so most go unnoticed.
Waterfalls
There are about 290 waterfalls in Yellowstone that measure 15 ft or taller. Each one flows year round. Fairy Falls, at about 197 feet, is one of the tallest waterfalls in yellowstone. Firehole Falls, Gibbon Falls, Kepler Cascades, and Lewis Falls are also quite majestic. The most well known waterfalls of Yellowstone are the Upper and Lower Falls. They were created by the Yellowstone River. The Lower Falls are 308 feet high, which is twice as high as Niagra Falls. Yellowstone is considered to possibly have the most waterfalls for such a small area in all the world.
Native Americans
Indian Tribes of the Yellowstone Area
There were four tribes that lived in the Yellowstone area. The Crows, the Blackfeet, the Shoshone, and the Bannocks. No tribe would live in Yellowstone, for fear of incurring the wrath of the "Evil Spirit" that lived there. The hunting was also not as good in the area and it was hard to access. The natives called Yellowstone "Burning Mountains". They only moved into the area when the white man invaded their territory, so they had no choice but ot escape there. The Crows, who lived to the east of Yellowstone, were known to be friends of the white man, and the Blackfeet, who were the Indians of Glacier Park, were their enemies. The Shoshones and Bannocks were peaceful tribes. The Bannocks, who lived to the west of Yellowstone, crossed Yellowstone every summer to get to the buffalo hunting grounds. Although they feared crossing and angering the "Evil Spirit", they had no choice because they feared the Crows and the Blackfeet even more, and did not want to cross their territory. The Shosone, who lived to the south and southeast of Yellowstone, were looked down on by the Crows and the Blackfeet because they dug roots for food and ate fish, which they despised and would only eat if they were starving. The Wind River Reservation in Yellowstone is the third largest Indian reservation in the United States. It is also the only reservation where the U.S. government allowed the native to choose the land. Over 7,000 American Indians live in the Wind River Reservation of Yellowstone today.
Bibolyography
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/weather.htm
http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/things2do.htm
http://www.yellowstonepark-trip.com/history-of-yellowstone-park.php
http://facts.randomhistory.com/yellowstone-facts.html
http://www.yellowstonepark.com/natural-wonders/volcanos/
http://www.yellowstonepark.com/activities/
http://www.ypf.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5343
http://yellowstone.net/waterfalls/
http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/roadsidewaterfalls.htm
http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/albright3/chap6a.htm