The World's First National Park.

On March 1, 1872 President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill into law that established the Yellowstone region of what is now Wyoming, Montana and Idaho as the worlds first National Park.

The park was not greeted with much local support following its creation. Those living in the Yellowstone area believed their economy and industry would suffer after the lands fell under government control. To the contrary the towns bordering the park have boomed as a result of their proximity.

After seeing the environmental, cultural and monetary results, the nature conservation movement as well as businesses began to see the benefits of protecting lands for public use. People and governments all over the world copied the example of Yellowstone National Park by protecting wilderness areas, from harm and private interests.

“For the benefit and enjoyment of the people,” reads the iconic Roosevelt Arch, at the northern entrance of Yellowstone. Those words became the slogan for the changing attitude about nature in the modern world.

A land of mountains, thermal features, wildlife, canyons, forests, lakes, waterfalls, rock formations, petrified forests and so much more... Yellowstone is perhaps the greatest overall natural site on the planet, not only for what it contains within its borders, but for its legacy in changing how humans see the world.

Must See Sites

Given all the entrances and figure-eight main park road, seeing all the sites in Yellowstone will take a lot of effort and multiple days if not weeks. Every road is enjoyable and offers unique scenery with many chances to observe a variety of wildlife.

Old Faithful

The most iconic site in the park, Old Faithful is the central point for visitors. The main visitor center, concession...

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...rt distance east of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area the mountains rise and you climb thousands of feet into Bighorn National Forest. A towering mountain range in north-central Wyoming these peaks provide amazing scenery and show off impressive sites like Medicine Wheel, Shell Falls and Cloud Peak (13,167 feet).

Bridger National Forest

This National Forest is a secret and magnificent wonder. Hard to get to, with limited facilities/access, Bridger is probably the single best opportunity for the recreational backpacker. Enormous valleys of granite offer sweeping landscapes of untouched nature that are reminiscent of Yosemite Valley. Part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and largest intact ecosystem in the lower 48 states, the serenity here cannot be overstated. If you seek to view nature as if discovering it for the first time, there is no better place.