Yellowstone National Park

By Kimberly Lowry, Broker Associate, Licensed in MT

Living in one of the surrounding Rocky Mountain States to Yellowstone National Park, a quick weekend trip to explore the awe-inspiring natural wonders can be planned spur of the moment. However, each year Yellowstone attracts visitors to the park from virtually every state in the nation and every corner of the globe who have all planned their trips many months if not years in advance. Unfortunately, with the recent unprecedented flooding in Yellowstone National Park, the accessibility is limited to many areas of the park for the foreseeable future while road repairs are made, and in some areas of the park, the landscape has been forever changed.

Honored as the Nation’s first National Park in 1872, 2022 marks the 150^th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park. At the time, the region was valued for its unique landscape, tremendous wildlife habitat, and the location of the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, the last major undammed river and a critical waterway that flows for over 690 miles on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Though it was the first, today, there are 63 national parks, areas designated by Congress and managed by the National Park Service for their diverse ecosystems, recreational opportunities, and unique geological features.

Over the years, the landscape has been altered by natural events from fires to floods impacting the topography of the park and up to as many as 3,000 earthquakes each year which contribute to the activity of the geysers throughout the park and even created what is affectionately called “Quake Lake” or Earthquake Lake located just outside the park boundary, when a lake was formed along the Madison River in 1959 during a massive earthquake in that region. However, 2022 marks a new milestone in Yellowstone National Park history with the unprecedented flooding event that will impact the park for months, if not years to come.

With so many amazing, must-see natural wonders in Yellowstone National Park, an upcoming visit will require a bit more planning to ensure access to your desired locations is achievable. Some of my favorite hot spots, literally, to see during each visit to Yellowstone National Park include a walk around the boardwalk to view the rainbow of colors in the steaming waters of the Grand Prismatic Spring. A visit to Yellowstone is not complete without a stop at Old Faithful Geyser, which was fortunately not impacted by the recent flooding and is still accessible to visitors. Other spots to check out include the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, featuring hiking paths to check out the breathtaking waterfall from several different vantage points and West Thumb Geyser Basin, which is the largest geyser basin along the shore of Yellowstone Lake. Along the way, enjoy wildlife viewing, including bison almost everywhere, grizzly bears turning over logs in search of breakfast in the early morning hours along the shores of Yellowstone Lake, elk and wolves crisscrossing Hayden Valley, and many other species that call the park home.

For a more complete list of spots to stop and explore and to help plan your trip to Yellowstone, please see the following for details and info on favorite sites to include on your list: National Park Service Kids Youth at Yellowstone.

To help plan your trip to Yellowstone and for information on remaining closures while working to repair damage related to the flood, please check out the following website for more information: National Park Service Yellowstone News.