<strong>Grand Prismatic Spring:</strong> Yellowstone National Park was penned into official existence on March 1, 1872. The park is jam-packed with geothermal features (Yellowstone sits atop a supervolcano, after all). Click through the gallery for more scenery, wildlife and historical photos as the park celebrates its 150th anniversary.
Grand Prismatic Spring: Yellowstone National Park was penned into official existence on March 1, 1872. The park is jam-packed with geothermal features (Yellowstone sits atop a supervolcano, after all). Click through the gallery for more scenery, wildlife and historical photos as the park celebrates its 150th anniversary.
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<strong>Bison:</strong> At one point, the number of bison at Yellowstone numbered below 100. They have bounced back in population in a big way thanks to restoration efforts. This herd takes over a wintry road near Frying Pan Spring.
Bison: At one point, the number of bison at Yellowstone numbered below 100. They have bounced back in population in a big way thanks to restoration efforts. This herd takes over a wintry road near Frying Pan Spring.
Jacob W. Frank/NPS
<strong>Lower Falls:</strong> The park is full of breathtaking sights. Here, sunlight illuminates the spray as the Yellowstone River crashes over the Lower Falls in Yellowstone's own Grand Canyon.
Lower Falls: The park is full of breathtaking sights. Here, sunlight illuminates the spray as the Yellowstone River crashes over the Lower Falls in Yellowstone's own Grand Canyon.
Amanda Mortimer/Adobe Stock
<strong>Gateway to adventure: </strong>Cars come through the East Entrance of Yellowstone. The park set record attendance in 2021, and the line to enter can feel like a city traffic jam sometimes. Consider coming during off-peak dates for a less crowded experience.
Gateway to adventure: Cars come through the East Entrance of Yellowstone. The park set record attendance in 2021, and the line to enter can feel like a city traffic jam sometimes. Consider coming during off-peak dates for a less crowded experience.
Jacob W. Frank/NPS
<strong>Bears:</strong> A cinnamon black bear roams the wilds of Yellowstone. Experts say you should never approach bears or try to feed them.
Bears: A cinnamon black bear roams the wilds of Yellowstone. Experts say you should never approach bears or try to feed them.
Ron Reznick/VW Pics/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
<strong>Pebble Creek Campground:</strong> If you want to stay in a campground such as Pebble Creek this summer, it's time to book now. And in case you didn't get that bear message, there are signs to remind you.
Pebble Creek Campground: If you want to stay in a campground such as Pebble Creek this summer, it's time to book now. And in case you didn't get that bear message, there are signs to remind you.
Jacob W. Frank/NPS
<strong>Old Faithful:</strong> Tourists watch Old Faithful, the park's most famous feature, eject its regular hot spray. The geyser has lengthened the time between eruptions by about 30 minutes in the past 30 years, the National Park Service says.
Old Faithful: Tourists watch Old Faithful, the park's most famous feature, eject its regular hot spray. The geyser has lengthened the time between eruptions by about 30 minutes in the past 30 years, the National Park Service says.
Wasin Pummarin/Adobe Stock
<strong>Important visitors:</strong> President Franklin D. Roosevelt visits Yellowstone in 1937. Back on the East Coast, the National Park Service runs his historical home in Hyde Park, New York.
Important visitors: President Franklin D. Roosevelt visits Yellowstone in 1937. Back on the East Coast, the National Park Service runs his historical home in Hyde Park, New York.
Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images
<strong>Wolves:</strong> A wolf treks through the snow at Yellowstone in 1997. Wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995 after being completely rooted out. In 2022, they're thriving and helping restore the natural balance of Yellowstone.
Wolves: A wolf treks through the snow at Yellowstone in 1997. Wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995 after being completely rooted out. In 2022, they're thriving and helping restore the natural balance of Yellowstone.
William Campbell/Sygma/Getty Images
<strong>Mammoth Hot Springs Campground:</strong> This is the only campground open all year in Yellowstone and is close to fishing, hiking and the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.
Mammoth Hot Springs Campground: This is the only campground open all year in Yellowstone and is close to fishing, hiking and the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.
Neal Herbert/NPS
<strong>Mammoth Hot Springs:</strong> A man stands at the base of Mammoth Hot Springs circa 1869, before Yellowstone become the first national park in the United States.
Mammoth Hot Springs: A man stands at the base of Mammoth Hot Springs circa 1869, before Yellowstone become the first national park in the United States.
Corbis Historical/Getty Images
<strong>Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone:</strong> You might want to hit the StairMaster before coming here. Steps -- many, many steps -- lead down to the bottom of a gorge in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone: You might want to hit the StairMaster before coming here. Steps -- many, many steps -- lead down to the bottom of a gorge in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
khomlyak/Adobe Stock
<strong>Bighorn sheep:</strong> Some 10 to 13 interbreeding bands of bighorn sheep occupy steep terrain in the upper Yellowstone River drainage, the NPS says. This group was seen on Mount Everts.
Bighorn sheep: Some 10 to 13 interbreeding bands of bighorn sheep occupy steep terrain in the upper Yellowstone River drainage, the NPS says. This group was seen on Mount Everts.
Jacob W. Frank/NPS
<strong>Mammoth Hot Springs:</strong> Visitors need to treat these beautiful and hypnotizing geothermal features with respect. Visitors have been injured and killed by the scalding waters.
Mammoth Hot Springs: Visitors need to treat these beautiful and hypnotizing geothermal features with respect. Visitors have been injured and killed by the scalding waters.
Gagliardi Giovanni/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
<strong>First family visit:</strong> President Bill Clinton takes a look through a telescope at the park on August 25, 1995, with his wife Hillary, daughter Chelsea and her friend Rebecca Kolsky.
First family visit: President Bill Clinton takes a look through a telescope at the park on August 25, 1995, with his wife Hillary, daughter Chelsea and her friend Rebecca Kolsky.
Doug Mills/AP
<strong>Cougars:</strong> A cougar peeks through branches from a tree in Yellowstone. The park estimates there are 34 to 42 there, and they are seldom spotted by visitors.
Cougars: A cougar peeks through branches from a tree in Yellowstone. The park estimates there are 34 to 42 there, and they are seldom spotted by visitors.
Jacob W. Frank/NPS
<strong>Old-style Old Faithful:</strong> People visit Old Faithful geyser in 1901. Old Faithful is one of nearly 500 geysers in Yellowstone.
Old-style Old Faithful: People visit Old Faithful geyser in 1901. Old Faithful is one of nearly 500 geysers in Yellowstone.
The Print Collector/Getty Images
<strong>Bald eagle:</strong> At Yellowstone, the US national bird feeds primarily on fish but also on waterfowl and carrion.
Bald eagle: At Yellowstone, the US national bird feeds primarily on fish but also on waterfowl and carrion.
Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images