Yellowstone National Park: Facts, Timeline, and Resources
Fun Facts about Yellowstone National Park
Where is Yellowstone Located:
Park County, Wyoming
Teton County, Wyoming
Gallatin County, Montana
Park County, Montana
Fremont County, Idaho
How Big is Yellowstone:
Area: 3,472 sq mi
Who Governs Yellowstone National Park:
U.S. National Park Service
What is the weather like in Yellowstone National Park
The record high temperature was 99 °F (37 °C) in 2002
The record low temperature recorded is −66 °F (−54 °C) in 1933.
Summer Weather in Yellowstone
During the summer months of June through early September, daytime highs are normally in the 70 to 80 °F range.
During the summer months nighttime lows can go to below freezing (0 °C).
Summer afternoons are frequently accompanied by thunderstorms.
Spring Weather in Yellowstone
Spring and fall day temperatures range between 30 and 60 °F (-1 and 16 °C)
Spring and fall night temperatures with cold nights in the teens to single digits (-5 to -20 °C).
Winter Weather in Yellowstone
Winter in Yellowstone is very cold with high temperatures usually between zero to 20 °F
Winter nighttime temperatures in Yellowstone fall below zero °F (-20 °C) for most of the winter.
Precipitation in Yellowstone
Precipitation in Yellowstone is highly variable and ranges from 15 inches annually near Mammoth Hot Springs, to 80 inches in the southwestern sections of the park. Snow is possible in any month of the year, with averages of 150 inches annually around Yellowstone Lake, to twice that amount at higher elevations.
Tornadoes in Yellowstone
Tornadoes in Yellowstone are rare; however, on July 21, 1987, the most powerful tornado recorded in Wyoming touched down in the Teton Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest and hit Yellowstone National Park. Called the Teton–Yellowstone tornado, it was classified as an F4, with wind speeds estimated at between 207 and 260 miles per hour.
Timeline of Yellowstone National park
1872: Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872
1872-1886: Hunters and others largely have the run of the park in winter
1877: First known wagon trip to Yellowstone, in summer
1881: First stagecoach tours into the park, in summer
1886-1918: U.S. Army takes over protective duties for Yellowstone and its wildlife
1893: Northern Pacific Railroad reached Gardiner, MT, outside parks’ northwest boundary
1908: Union Pacific Railroad’s Oregon Short Line railway reaches boundary of park
1915: Yellowstone is opened to automobile traffic
1916: Congress creates National Park Service to protect and manage Yellowstone
1932: First request to park managers to plow roads in winter
1948: Visitors first use motor-powered snow vehicles enter the park in winter
1955: First “snowcoaches” enter the park
1963: First personal snowmobiles enter the park
1967: Congressional hearings on year-round plowing of Yellowstone roads
1968: Park managers choose oversnow use instead of plowing
1990: NPS does first winter-use plan and environmental assessment for Yellowstone and Grand Teton
1992-93: 140,000 people visit Yellowstone in winter
1993: NPS and Forest Service begin working together to address burgeoning winter use in Greater Yellowstone Area
1996-1997: Harsh winter leads to more than 1,000 bison dying or being killed.
1999: Rulemaking petition from environmental group asks NPS to ban recreational snowmobiling in Yellowstone
2000: Park Service decides to phase out most snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks on grounds that the machines damage the park’s air quality, wildlife, natural soundscapes and the enjoyment of other park visitors
2001: NPS is sued over its decision to ban snowmobiles.
2003: NPS decides managed winter-use program for snow vehicles will work and calls for guided-only entry by snowmobiles of “best available technology” (BAT), with limits on number of snowmobiles and snowcoaches per day.
2004: NPS prepares temporary plan to limit use and require commercial guided-only access aboard BAT snowmobiles
2007: Park completes 2007 winter-use plan
2008: Federal court (DC) rejects the 2007 plan, so winter operations revert to a 2004 winter rule.
2008 –Park prepares new temporary plan allowing 318 snowmobiles and 78 snowcoaches a day into Yellowstone
2009: NPS completes 2008 temporary plan for winter use. Yellowstone opens on Dec. 15 for up to 318 guided snowmobiles and 78 snowcoaches a day.
July 2010: Release of draft range of alternatives that will be analyzed in Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
List of Trails In Yellowstone National park
Artist Paint Pots
Cygnet Lakes Trail
Monument Geyser Basin
Boiling River Trail
Beaver Ponds Trail
Wraith Falls
Harlequin Lake
Purple Mountain Trail
Fountain Paint Pots Trail
Fountain Flats Freight Road
Upper Geyser Basin Trail
Biscuit Basin trailhead
Biscuit Basin Trail
Black Sand Basin Trail
Lone Star Geyser Basin Trail
Uncle Tom’s Trail
West Thumb Geyser Basin
Mud Volcano Trail
Lamar Valley
Trout Lake
Pelican Creek Nature Trail
Lost Lake Trail
Tower Fall Trail
Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail
Bighorn Pass Trail
Blacktail Deer Creek Trail
Crevice Creek Trail
Fan Creek Trail
Fawn Pass Trail
Gneiss Creek Trail
Grebe Lake Trail
Grizzly Lake Trail
Ice Lake Trail
Lava Creek Trail
Eastern trailhead
Mount Holmes Trail
Rescue Creek Trail
Southern trailhead
Solfatara Creek Trail
Sportsman Lake Trail
Trilobite Lake Trail
Wolf Lake Trail
Yellowstone River Trail-Black Canyon
Eastern trailhead
Buffalo Fork Trail
Cache Creek Trail
Hellroaring Creek Trail
Pebble Creek Trail
Slough Creek Trail
Specimen Ridge Trail
Delacy Creek Trail
Divide Trail
Dogshead Trail
Fairy Creek Trail
Lewis Channel Trail
Mary Mountain Trail
Alum Creek trailhead
Mallard Creek Trail
Mallard Lake Trail
Shoshone Lake Trail
Old Faithful trailhead
Summit Lake Trail
Western trailhead
Heart Lake Trail
Mount Sheridan Trail
What Animals are in Yellowstone National Park
American Bison
Bears
Bighorn Sheep
Bobcats
Canadian lynx
Coyotes
Elk
Moose
Mountain Goats
Mountain Lions
Mule Deer and White-tailed Deer
Gray Wolf
Small Mammals
Trumpeter Swan
Blotched Tiger Salamander
Boreal Chorus Frog
Boreal Toad
Columbia Spotted Frog
Fish
More animals that are in Yellowstone National park.
Resources about Yellowstone National Park
National Park Service information about Yellowstone
Maps of Yellowstone
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