Yellowstone is a great family vacation destination. Millions of tourist visit the park each year. If you are like me the more informed you are about your vacation the better. Knowing as much as you can possibly know about the area you plan to visit for your vacation will help you get the most out of your trip. Taking the time to research interesting facts about your vacation destination will make things much more interesting for you when you actually arrive.
In this post I have provided Yellowstone National Park Information for you to consider. I have listed a few cool facts about Yellowstone just in case you are traveling with someone who likes trivia.
YELLOWSTONE FACTS AND FIGURES:
SIZE:
3,472 square miles is the exact measurements of the park. If you were to combine Delaware and Rhode Island, Yellowstone would still actually be larger.
GEOGRAPHY:
The highest point of the park is 11,358 ft and the low point is 5,582 ft. Grass covers about 15% of the area, 80% is forested and 5% is covered by water.
CLIMATE:
During winter the average temperature is 9 degrees and during the summer the average temperature is 80 degrees. Annual precipitation can range from 10 inches in the northern areas and 80 inches in the southwest corner.
WILDLIFE:
Yellowstone is home to seven species of ungulates or animals with hooves. There are two species of bears and somewhere around fifty species of other mammals. Five species are considered endangered or threatened and therefore are protected. This would include the bald eagle, grizzle bear, gray wolf, lynx and whooping crane.
FLORA:
Eighty percent of the parks forest is Lodgepole Pine. There are eight species of conifers, 1,700 species of vascular plants, and over 170 exotic plant species.
GEOLOGY:
Yellowstone is home to one of the world’s largest active volcano’s. Each year approximately 2,000 earthquakes occur here. The park has over 300 geysers and about 10,000 thermal features. The caldera measures 35 miles by 45 miles and ranks among one of the worlds largest calderas. Waterfalls are abundant in the area and 290 of the falls reach heights of at least fifteen feet. These falls also flow all year long. Lower Falls is the tallest waterfall in the area and has been measured to a total of 309 feet.
YELLOWSTONE LAKE:
This Lake is 136 square miles with an average depth of 140 feet. There are parts of the lake that have been measured to be 400 feet. There are 110 miles of shoreline.
ROADS AND TRAILS:
There are five entrances and 466 miles of paved roads. Yellowstone has 950 miles of backcountry trails, 97 trail heads and 287 backcountry campsites.
FACILITIES:
You will find nine visitor centers and museums for tourists to enjoy. There are nine Yellowstone hotels in the area making a grand total of 2,238 rooms. There is one marina and 49 picnic areas.
I hope that we have provided you with the Yellowstone National Park Information that you were looking for, if not take a look around the site. We have included lots of useful information to help you plan your trip. For example, we have a post on family travel ideas for your Yellowstone vacation as well as live webcams. Have fun on your trip and be safe!
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