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Yellowstone National Park

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

             Yellowstone National Park
   IUCN Category II ( National Park)
   Yellowstone National Park
   Location:       Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, USA
   Nearest city:   Billings, Montana
   Coordinates:    44°40′0″N, 110°28′0″W
   Area:           2,219,799 acres (8,983 km²)
   Established:    March 1, 1872
   Visitation:     2,835,651 (in 2005)
   Governing body: National Park Service

   Yellowstone National Park is a U.S. National Park located in the
   western states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Yellowstone is the first
   and oldest national park in the world and covers 3,470 square miles
   (8,980 km²), mostly in the northwest corner of Wyoming. The park is
   famous for its various geysers, hot springs, supervolcano and other
   geothermal features and is home to grizzly bears, wolves, and
   free-ranging herds of bison and elk. It is the core of the Greater
   Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the largest intact temperate zone
   ecosystems remaining on the planet. The world's most famous geyser, the
   Old Faithful Geyser, is also located in Yellowstone National Park.

   Long before any recorded human history in Yellowstone, a massive
   volcanic eruption spewed an immense volume of ash that covered all of
   the western U.S., much of the midwestern U.S., northern Mexico and some
   areas of the Pacific Coast. The eruption dwarfed that of Mount St.
   Helens in 1980 and left a huge caldera 43 miles by 18 miles (70 km by
   30 km) sitting over a huge magma chamber (see Geology section and
   Yellowstone Caldera). Yellowstone has registered three major volcanic
   eruption events in the last 2.2 million years with the last event
   occurring 640,000 years ago. Its eruptions are the largest known to
   have occurred on Earth within that timeframe, producing drastic climate
   change in the aftermath (See also: Supervolcano).

   The park received its name from its location at the headwaters of the
   Yellowstone River. French trappers gave this river the name "Roche
   Jaune," probably a translation of the Hidatsa name "Mi tsi a-da-zi,"
   and the later American trappers rendered the French name into English
   as "Yellow Stone." Although it is commonly believed that the river was
   named for the yellow rocks seen in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,
   the Native American source name more likely derived from the yellowish
   bluffs located near present-day Billings, Montana.

Human history

   Lower Yellowstone Falls where the Yellowstone River plunges into the
   Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
   Enlarge
   Lower Yellowstone Falls where the Yellowstone River plunges into the
   Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

   The human history of the park begins at least 11,000 years when Native
   Americans first began to hunt and fish in the Yellowstone region. These
   Paleo-indians were of the Clovis culture and they used the significant
   amounts of obsidian found in the park to make cutting tools and
   weapons. Arrowheads made of Yellowstone obsidian have been found as far
   away as the Mississippi Valley, indicating that a regular obsidian
   trade existed between Yellowstone Native Americans and tribes farther
   east. By the time white explorers first entered the region during the
   Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805, they encountered the Nez Perce,
   Crow and Shoshone tribes. While passing through present day Montana,
   the expedition members were informed of the Yellowstone region to the
   south, but did not investigate it.

   In 1806 a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition named John Colter
   left the Expedition to join a group of fur trappers. After splitting up
   with the other trappers in 1807, Colter passed through a portion of
   what later became the park, during the winter of 1807-1808, and
   observed at least one geothermal area in the northeastern section of
   the park, near Tower Falls. After surviving wounds he suffered in a
   battle with members of the Crow and Blackfoot tribes in 1809, he gave a
   description of a place of "fire and brimstone" that was dismissed by
   most people as delirium. The supposedly imaginary place was nicknamed
   "Colter's Hell." Over the next forty years, numerous reports from
   mountain men and trappers told of boiling mud, steaming rivers and
   petrified trees and animals, yet most of these reports were believed at
   the time to be myth.

   After an 1856 exploration, mountain man Jim Bridger reported observing
   boiling springs, spouting water, and a mountain of glass and yellow
   rock. Because Bridger was known for being a "spinner of yarns" these
   reports were largely ignored. Nonetheless, his stories did arouse the
   interest of explorer and geologist F.V. Hayden, who, in 1859, started a
   two-year survey of the upper Missouri River region with United States
   Army surveyor W.F. Raynolds and Bridger as a guide. After exploring the
   Black Hills region of in what is now the state of South Dakota, the
   party neared the Yellowstone region, but heavy snows forced them to
   turn away. The intervening American Civil War prevented any further
   attempts to explore the region until the late 1860's.
   The Roosevelt Arch is located in Montana at the North Entrance. The
   arch's cornerstone was laid by Theodore Roosevelt. The placard reads
   "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People." Enlarge
   The Roosevelt Arch is located in Montana at the North Entrance. The
   arch's cornerstone was laid by Theodore Roosevelt. The placard reads
   "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People."

   The first detailed expedition to the Yellowstone area was the Folsom
   Expedition of 1869, which consisted of three privately funded
   explorers. The members of the Folsom party followed the Yellowstone
   River to Yellowstone Lake and kept a journal of their findings. Based
   on the information it reported, in 1870 a party of Montana residents
   organized the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition, headed by the
   surveyor-general of Montana Henry Washburn. Amongst the group was
   Nathaniel P. Langford, who would later become known as "National Park"
   Langford, and a U.S. Army detachment commanded by Lt. Gustavus Doane.
   The expedition spent about a month exploring the region, collecting
   specimens, and naming sites of interest. A Montana writer and lawyer
   named Cornelius Hedges, who had been a member of the Washburn
   expedition, proposed that the region should be set aside and protected
   as a National Park, and wrote a number of detailed articles about his
   observations for the Helena Herald newspaper between 1870-1871. Hedges
   essentially reinstated comments made in October of 1865 by acting
   Territorial Governor Thomas Francis Meagher, who had previously
   commented that the region should be protected.

   In 1871, eleven years after his failed first effort, F.V. Hayden was
   finally able to make another attempt at his exploration of the region.
   Now government sponsored, Hayden successfully returned to Yellowstone
   with a second, larger expedition. He compiled a comprehensive report on
   Yellowstone which included large-format photographs by William Henry
   Jackson and paintings by Thomas Moran. This report helped to convince
   the U.S. Congress to withdraw this region from public auction and on
   March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill into law that
   created Yellowstone National Park.

   "National Park" Langford, a member of both the 1870 and 1871
   expeditions, was appointed as the park's first superintendent in 1872.
   He served for five years, but without salary, funding, or staff, he
   lacked the means to improve the lands or implement any kind of
   protection to the park. Without even any formal policy or regulations
   put into place, he lacked any legal method to enforce such protection
   were it available to him. This left Yellowstone vulnerable to attack
   from poachers, vandals, and others seeking to raid its resources. As a
   result Langford was forced to step down in 1877.
   Fort Yellowstone, formerly a U.S. Army base, now serves as the
   administration headquarters for Yellowstone National Park.
   Enlarge
   Fort Yellowstone, formerly a U.S. Army base, now serves as the
   administration headquarters for Yellowstone National Park.

   Having traveled through Yellowstone and witnessed these problems first
   hand, Philetus Norris volunteered for the position after Langford's
   exit. Congress finally saw fit to implement a salary for the position
   as well as a minimal amount of funds to operate the park. Langford used
   these monies to expand access to the park, building over 30 new, albeit
   crude, roads, as well as further exploring Yellowstone. He also hired
   Harry Yount (nicknamed "Rocky Mountain Harry") to control poaching and
   vandalism in the park. Today, Harry Yount is considered the first
   national park ranger. These measures still proved to be insufficient in
   protecting the park though, as neither Norris, nor the three
   superintendents who followed proved effective in stopping the
   destruction of Yellowstone's natural resources.

   It was only in 1886, when the United States Army was given the task of
   managing the park (see Fort Yellowstone), that control was able to be
   maintained. With the funding and manpower necessary to keep a diligent
   watch, the army successfully developed their own policies and
   regulations that maintained public access while protecting park
   wildlife and natural resources. When the National Park Service was
   created in 1916, it would take its lead largely from the army's
   successful example. The army turned control over to the National Park
   Service in 1918.

   Yellowstone was designated an International Biosphere Reserve on
   October 26, 1976, and a United Nations World Heritage Site on September
   8, 1978.

Forest fires

   Enlarge
   The 1988 fires affected 793,880 acres or 36% of the park. Five
   wildfires burned into the park that year from adjacent public lands.
   The largest, the North Fork Fire, started from a discarded cigarette
   and burned more than 410,000 acres.
   Enlarge
   The 1988 fires affected 793,880 acres or 36% of the park. Five
   wildfires burned into the park that year from adjacent public lands.
   The largest, the North Fork Fire, started from a discarded cigarette
   and burned more than 410,000 acres.

   A series of lightning-derived fires started to burn large portions of
   the park in July of the especially dry summer of 1988. Thousands of
   firefighters responded to the blaze in order to prevent human-built
   structures from succumbing to the flames. Controversially, however, no
   serious effort was made to completely extinguish the fires, and they
   burned until the arrival of autumn rains. Ecologists argue that fire is
   part of the Yellowstone ecosystem, and that not allowing the fires to
   run their course (as has been the practice in the past) will result in
   an overgrown forest that would be extremely vulnerable to
   deoxygenation, disease, and decay. In fact, relatively few megafauna in
   the park were killed by the fires; and since the blaze, many saplings
   have sprung up on their own, old vistas are viewable once again, and
   many previously unknown archaeological and geological sites of interest
   were found and cataloged by scientists. The National Park Service now
   has a policy of lighting smaller, controlled " prescribed fires" to
   prevent another dangerous buildup of flammable materials.

Geography

   The Continental Divide passes through Yellowstone.
   Enlarge
   The Continental Divide passes through Yellowstone.

   The Continental Divide of North America runs roughly diagonally through
   the southwestern part of the park. The divide is a topographic
   ridgeline that bisects the continent between Pacific Ocean and Atlantic
   Ocean water drainages (the drainage from one-third of the park is on
   the Pacific side of this divide).

   For example, the Yellowstone River and the Snake River both have their
   origin close to each other in the park. However, the headwaters of the
   Snake River are on the west side of the continental divide, and the
   headwaters of the Yellowstone River are on the east side of that
   divide. The result is that the waters of the Snake River head toward
   the Pacific Ocean, and the waters of the Yellowstone head for the
   Atlantic Ocean (via the Gulf of Mexico).

   The park sits on a high plateau which is, on average, 8,000 feet
   (2,400 m) above sea level and is bounded on nearly all sides by
   mountain ranges of the Middle Rocky Mountains, which range from 10,000
   to 14,000 feet (3,000 to 4,300 m) in elevation. These ranges are: the
   Gallatin Range (to the northwest), Beartooth Mountains (to the north),
   Absaroka Mountains (to the east), Wind River Range (southeast corner),
   Teton Mountains (to the south, see Grand Teton National Park) and the
   Madison Range (to the west). The most prominent summit in the plateau
   is Mount Washburn at 10,243 feet (3,122 m).

   Just outside of the southwestern park border is the Island Park
   Caldera, which is a plateau ringed by low hills. Beyond that are the
   Snake River Plains of southern Idaho, which are covered by flood
   basalts and slope gently to the southwest (see Craters of the Moon
   National Monument).

   The major feature of the Yellowstone Plateau is the Yellowstone
   Caldera; a very large caldera which has been nearly filled-in with
   volcanic debris and measures 30 by 40 miles (50 by 60 km). Within this
   caldera lies most of Yellowstone Lake, which is the largest
   high-elevation lake in North America, and two resurgent domes, which
   are areas that are uplifting at a slightly faster rate than the rest of
   the plateau.

Geology

   Boiling pool at Biscuit Basin.
   Enlarge
   Boiling pool at Biscuit Basin.

   Yellowstone is at the northeast tip of a smooth U-shaped curve through
   the mountains, which is now the Snake River Plain. This curved plain
   was created as the North American continent drifted across a stationary
   volcanic hotspot beneath the Earth's crust. This hot spot used to be
   near what is now Boise, Idaho, but North America has drifted at a rate
   of 45 mm a year in a southwestern direction, shifting the hot spot to
   its present location.
   Columnar basalt near Tower Fall. Large floods of basalt and other lava
   types preceded mega-eruptions of superheated ash and pumice.
   Enlarge
   Columnar basalt near Tower Fall. Large floods of basalt and other lava
   types preceded mega-eruptions of superheated ash and pumice.
   The Firehole River near Excelsior Geyser. Due to the volume of heated
   water pouring into the river from the geothermal features, the
   temperature of the river can get as high as 86 °F (30 °C).
   Enlarge
   The Firehole River near Excelsior Geyser. Due to the volume of heated
   water pouring into the river from the geothermal features, the
   temperature of the river can get as high as 86 °F (30 °C).

   Yellowstone Caldera is the largest volcanic system in North America. It
   has been termed a " supervolcano" because the caldera was formed by
   exceptionally large explosive eruptions. It was created by a
   cataclysmic eruption that occurred 640,000 years ago that released
   1,000 cubic kilometers of ash, rock and pyroclastic materials (this was
   450 times larger than Mount St. Helens' 1980 eruption), forming a
   crater nearly a kilometre deep and 30 by 70 kilometres in area (18 by
   43 mi) (the size of the caldera has been modified a bit since this time
   and has mostly been filled in, however). The welded tuff geologic
   formation created by this eruption is called the Lava Creek Tuff. In
   addition to the last great eruptive cycle there were two other previous
   ones in the Yellowstone area.

   Each eruption is in fact a part of an eruptive cycle that climaxes with
   the collapse of the roof of a partially emptied magma chamber. This
   creates a crater, called a caldera, and releases vast amounts of
   volcanic material (usually through fissures that ring the caldera). The
   time between the last three cataclysmic eruptions in the Yellowstone
   area has ranged from 600,000 to 900,000 years, but the small number of
   such climax eruptions can not be used to make a prediction for the time
   range for the next climax eruption.
   A thermal image of the Grand Prismatic Spring.
   Enlarge
   A thermal image of the Grand Prismatic Spring.

   The first and largest eruption climaxed to the southwest of the current
   park boundaries 2.2 million years ago and formed a caldera about 50 by
   80 kilometres in area (30 by 50 mi) and hundreds of meters deep after
   releasing 2,500 cubic kilometers of material (mostly ash, pumice and
   other pyroclastics). This caldera has been filled in by subsequent
   eruptions, and the geologic formation created by this eruption is
   called the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff.

   The second eruption, at 280 km³ of material ejected, climaxed
   1.2 million years ago and formed the much smaller Island Park Caldera
   and the geologic formation called the Mesa Falls Tuff. All three climax
   eruptions released vast amounts of ash that blanketed much of central
   North America and fell many hundreds of miles away (as far as
   California to the southwest; see Lake Tecopa). The amount of ash and
   gases released into the atmosphere probably caused significant impacts
   to world weather patterns and led to the extinction of many species in
   at least North America. About 160,000 years ago a much smaller climax
   eruption occurred which formed a relatively small caldera that is now
   filled in with the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake.
   Steamboat Geyser: The world's tallest active geyser, Eruptions can
   reach as high as 300 feet (90 m).
   Enlarge
   Steamboat Geyser: The world's tallest active geyser, Eruptions can
   reach as high as 300 feet (90 m).

   Lava strata is most easily seen at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
   where the Yellowstone River continues to carve into the ancient lava
   flows. According to Ken Pierce, U.S. Geological Survey geologist, at
   the end of the last glacial period, about 14,000 to 18,000 years ago,
   ice dams formed at the mouth of Yellowstone Lake. When the ice dams
   melted, a great volume of water was released downstream causing massive
   flash floods and immediate and catastrophic erosion of the present-day
   canyon. These flash floods probably happened more than once. The canyon
   is a classic V-shaped valley, indicative of river-type erosion rather
   than glaciation. Today the canyon is still being eroded by the
   Yellowstone River.

   After the last major climax eruption 630,000 years ago until about
   70,000 years ago, Yellowstone Caldera was nearly filled in with
   periodic eruptions of rhyolitic lavas (example at Obsidian Cliffs) and
   basaltic lavas (example at Sheepeaters Cliff). But 150,000 years ago
   the floor of the plateau began to bulge up again. Two areas in
   particular at the foci of the elliptically shaped caldera are rising
   faster than the rest of the plateau. This differential in uplift has
   created two resurgent domes ( Sour Creek dome and Mallard Lake dome)
   which are uplifting at 15 millimeters a year while the rest of the
   caldera area of the plateau is uplifting at 12.5 millimeters a year.

   Preserved within Yellowstone are many geothermal features and some
   10,000 hot springs and geysers, 62% of the planet's known total. The
   superheated water that sustains these features comes from the same hot
   spot described above.

   The most famous geyser in the park, and perhaps the world, is Old
   Faithful Geyser (located in Upper Geyser Basin), but the park also
   contains the largest active geyser in the world, Steamboat Geyser in
   the Norris Geyser Basin.
   The most famous geyser in the world, Old Faithful Geyser
   Enlarge
   The most famous geyser in the world, Old Faithful Geyser
   Morning Glory Pool
   Enlarge
   Morning Glory Pool

   In 2003 changes at the Norris Geyser Basin resulted in the temporary
   closure of some trails in the basin. This coincided with the release of
   reports about a multiple year USGS research project mapping the bottom
   of Yellowstone Lake that identified a structural dome that had uplifted
   at some time in past beneath Yellowstone Lake. On March 10, 2004, a
   biologist discovered 5 dead bison which apparently had inhaled toxic
   geothermal gases trapped in the Norris Geyser Basin by a seasonal
   atmospheric inversion. Shortly after, in April 2004, the park
   experienced an upsurge of earthquake activity. These events inspired a
   great deal of media attention and speculation about the geologic future
   of the region. The United States government responded by allocating
   more resources to monitor the volcano and reminding visitors to remain
   on designated safe trails. The intervals between the historic large,
   caldera-forming explosions suggest that another such explosion may be
   "due," if not overdue.

Biology and ecology

   Pronghorn are commonly found on the grasslands in the park
   Enlarge
   Pronghorn are commonly found on the grasslands in the park

   The dominant tree species in the park is Lodgepole pine, however,
   varieties of spruce, fir and aspen are also common. There are at least
   600 species of trees and plants found in the park, some of which are
   found nowhere else.

   Yellowstone is widely considered to be the finest megafauna wildlife
   habitat in the lower 48 states. Animals found in the park include the
   majestic American bison (buffalo), grizzly bear, black bear, elk,
   moose, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and mountain lion (puma).
   Rivers in the Yellowstone drainage comprise the core range of the
   cutthroat trout subspecies known as Yellowstone cutthroat trout, a fish
   highly sought by anglers yet one that has faced several threats in
   recent years, including the illegal intentional introduction of lake
   trout, which consume the smaller cutthroat trout; the ongoing drought;
   and the accidental introduction of a parasite which causes a terminal
   nervous system disease in younger fish, known as whirling disease.

   The relatively large bison populations that exist in the park are a
   concern for ranchers who fear that the bison can transmit bovine
   diseases to their domesticated cousins. In fact, about half of
   Yellowstone's bison have been exposed to brucellosis, a bacterial
   disease that came to North America with European cattle and may cause
   cattle to miscarry. The disease has little effect on park bison and no
   reported case of transmission from wild bison to a visitor or to
   domestic livestock has ever been filed. But since the possibility of
   contagion still exists, the State of Montana believes its
   "brucellosis-free" status may be jeopardized if bison are in proximity
   to cattle. Montana had approved a bison hunt for the fall of 2005, with
   50 licenses issued to shoot bison that have left the park. Elk also
   carry the disease, but this popular game species is not considered a
   threat to livestock.
   Bison graze near a hot spring
   Enlarge
   Bison graze near a hot spring

   To combat the perceived threat, National Park personnel regularly
   harass bison herds back into the park when they venture outside of park
   borders. Animal rights activists state that is a cruel practice and
   that the possibility for disease transmission is not as great as some
   ranchers maintain. Ecologists also point out that the bison are just
   traveling to seasonal grazing areas that lie within the Greater
   Yellowstone Ecosystem that have been converted to cattle grazing (most
   of these areas are also within United States National Forests).

   Starting in 1918, in an effort to protect elk populations, the Director
   of the Park Service ordered “extermination of mountain lions and other
   predatory animals” in Yellowstone. Park Service hunters carried out
   these orders and by 1926 they had killed 122 wolves. By this time
   wolves were all but eliminated from Yellowstone.
   Map showing the ranges of wolf packs that were reintroduced into
   Yellowstone.
   Enlarge
   Map showing the ranges of wolf packs that were reintroduced into
   Yellowstone.

   By the 1990s, the Federal government had reversed its views on wolves.
   In a controversial decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
   (which oversees threatened and endangered species), wolves were
   reintroduced into the park. After the wolves were extirpated from
   Yellowstone, the smaller cousin of the wolf, the coyote, then became
   the park's top predator. However, the coyote is not able to bring down
   any large animal in the park and the result of this lack of a top
   predator on these populations was a marked increase in lame and sick
   megafauna. Since the reintroduction of wolves in the late 1990s this
   trend has started to reverse.

   However, ranchers in surrounding areas are concerned about wolves that
   venture outside the park and prey on their livestock, especially sheep
   and cattle. For the most part, wolves kill what they were taught to
   kill as pups, so they tend to prey on elk rather than sheep, but once a
   wolf pack begins eating sheep and training the pups to eat sheep, there
   is little recourse but to destroy the offending pack members. Ranchers
   are compensated for their losses if they can prove that wolves killed
   the livestock, but they contend that it is often difficult to prove
   that the kills were not made by coyotes or wild dogs.

   Reintroduced wolf packs do not carry endangered species status, so
   ranchers can kill wolves that threaten their herds, but wolves
   relocating from Canada on their own have begun to merge with the
   Yellowstone population, making it difficult to discern which wolves are
   protected and which are not.

   The National Park Service was generally not in favour of the
   reintroduction, citing evidence that wolves had already begun to return
   on their own, reestablishing themselves in very limited numbers prior
   to the wolf reintroduction. Wildlife biologists employed by the
   National Park Service had documented rare sightings made personally and
   from eyewitness accounts. It was a quiet concern that the compact
   agreed on by federal agencies and the states in which Yellowstone is
   located would ultimately provide less protection to the wolf, because
   the threatened status would be amended to appease local interests such
   as ranchers who would not likely face prosecution under the
   reintroduction agreement.

   In Yellowstone's hot waters, bacteria form mats consisting of trillions
   of individual bacteria. The surfaces of these mats assume bizarre
   shapes, and flies and other arthropods live on the mats, even in the
   midst of the bitterly cold winters. Scientists thought that microbes
   there gained sustenance only from sulfur, but scientists from the
   University of Colorado at Boulder discovered in 2005 that the
   sustenance for some species is molecular hydrogen - although there is
   evidence that this may not be the case for all of these diverse
   hyperthermophilic species.

Tourist information

   Orientation map of Yellowstone National Park showing many of the major
   tourist attractions.

   Yellowstone is one of the most popular national parks in the United
   States. The park is unique in that it features multiple natural wonders
   all in the same park.

   Geysers, hot springs, a grand canyon, forests, wilderness, wildlife and
   even a large lake can all be found inside the park. Due to the park's
   diversity of features, the list of activities for visitors is nearly
   endless. From backpacking to mountaineering, from kayaking to fishing,
   from sightseeing to watching bison, moose, and elk wandering into the
   parking lot of the visitor centers, most visitors enjoy a memorable
   experience in nature.

   Most of the geothermal features (hot springs, geysers, etc) emit
   gaseous sulfur, and though to most people the odour is not terribly
   offensive or overwhelming, people with respiratory difficulties should
   consult their doctors before visiting.

   Wildfires are a relatively common occurrence in Yellowstone, because of
   the dry summer climate, but they should not be considered "disasters";
   instead, they are a regular natural process that contributes to the
   beauty and ecology of the park. A series of wildfires in 1988 burned
   about 45% of the park's forest, including some forests adjacent to the
   major tourist areas. The areas burned in the 1988 fire present a
   strange, stark beauty, and the burned areas are swiftly returning to
   green.
   Old Faithful Inn.
   Enlarge
   Old Faithful Inn.

   Park officials advise visitors not to approach dangerous animals and to
   stay on designated safe trails to avoid falling into boiling liquids
   and inhaling toxic gas. In 2004, five bison were discovered dead from
   an apparent inhalation of toxic geothermal gases.

   Lodging for visitors exist at 11 locations within park boundaries.
   There is a clear view of Old Faithful Geyser at the park's Old Faithful
   Inn. Lodges range from hotel to cabin accommodations. There also are 11
   campgrounds and one hard-sided recreational vehicle park.

   The park itself is surrounded by other protected lands (including Grand
   Teton National Park and Custer National Forest) and beautiful drives
   (such as the Beartooth Highway). Nearby communities include West
   Yellowstone, Montana; Cody, Wyoming; Red Lodge, Montana; Ashton, Idaho;
   and Gardiner, Montana.
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