Top Five Reasons Why Yellowstone Is Amazing

Yellowstone is considered the 800-pound gorilla of the National Park Service. While I was initially unimpressed -- the park seemed no different at first blush than anything else in that area of the country -- all the different things that make Yellowstone so unique quickly became apparent.

1. Geothermal features
Everybody knows about Old Faithful, and judging from the tourist infrastructure set up around that geyser, many people likely come to Yellowstone solely to see that geyser. But Old Faithful is merely the tip of the iceberg. The central portion of Yellowstone is a gigantic volcanic caldera sitting atop a magma hot spot that protrudes upward through the earth's crust. Geothermal features of all different varieties abound throughout the park. They range from multi-hued hot springs to steaming fumaroles to bubbling pools of mud to terraced outflows. Even among geysers, there are huge variations, including those that are constantly churning, those that are dormant, those that erupt regularly, and those that erupt only when they damn well feel like it.

2. Scenic landscapes
Yellowstone is gorgeous -- enough said. Perhaps the scenic centerpiece is the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Unlike the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, the forces of erosion are very much at work in this triangular shaped valley that is filled with the rushing currents and the cascades of the Yellowstone River. While the water is too fast and shallow to go rafting in the central part of the canyon, such activities are available in other parts of the river. Those of us who don't like to get our feet wet can engage in almost 1,000 miles worth of hiking trails, such as the summit trail to Mt. Washburn. As you gain in elevation, you experience sweeping vistas of the rest of the park below. Sadly, wildfires in 1988 wiped out about a third of the forest land, though saplings have now appeared amongst the dead trunks of burnt trees, showing that the forest is on its way toward recovery.

3. Wildlife
Nowhere else have I experienced the ability to see so much wildlife in its natural environment from such close range. One of visitors' favorite activities in Yellowstone is driving around and stopping where you see a whole bunch of parked cars to check out the fuss for yourself. While we were there, we saw herds of bison camped out by a stream, elk munching on grass from the village green in Mammoth Hot Springs during the early morning hours, bighorn sheep grazing along the trail up Mt. Washburn right in front of us, a black bear and her cub foraging in distance, gigantic ravens strutting around the parking lots, families of deer, pronghorn antelopes, and a whole smattering of rodents and unique insects all over the place.

4. It's Huge
Yellowstone covers 3,470 square miles, which makes it larger than either Delaware or Rhode Island. And yet, there are only 289 miles of public vehicular thoroughfares in the entire park. Doing the math, that's one mile of road for every twelve square miles of park. The rest is wilderness. Yellowstone is truly a place where you can go hiking in the backcounty for a week and literally not encounter another human soul.

5. Something For Everybody
For the casual tourist who likes sightseeing without a lot of physical activity, the infrastructure is well developed around landmarks like Old Faithful and the canyon. You can drive the tour bus up to the curb, let Grandma go see the geyser erupt, and then load everybody back up for the next stop. Visitors who prefer more intensive activities can hike or raft or go horseback riding or set up a tent right outside their car in a campground. And for the ultimate outdoors enthusiast, there remains the aforementioned week-long backcountry expedition that allows an escape. The entrance gate to Yellowstone reads "For the benefit and enjoyment of the people" -- all of the people.

For my Yellowstone photo album, click here.