EDITORIAL: Explore and enjoy Yellowstone National Park

Posted 5/5/16

The park’s East Gate will open for the season Friday morning, and we encourage locals to visit Yellowstone early this spring.

Sometimes Powellites can forget just how close we are to the world’s first national park. From a doorstep in Powell, …

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EDITORIAL: Explore and enjoy Yellowstone National Park

Posted

Bubbling geysers, frolicking bison calves, powerful grizzly bears and incredible mountain landscapes beckon travelers to Yellowstone National Park each year.

The park’s East Gate will open for the season Friday morning, and we encourage locals to visit Yellowstone early this spring.

Sometimes Powellites can forget just how close we are to the world’s first national park. From a doorstep in Powell, it’s about 75 miles to Yellowstone.

While Old Faithful and other sights may seem familiar, take a step back and consider how extraordinary Yellowstone is — especially for those venturing into the park for the first time.

When early explorers David E. Folsom and Charles W. Cook wrote about their 1870 Yellowstone expedition, they had trouble selling it to magazines. Editors thought it seemed too far-fetched, according to National Geographic.

As the National Park Service marks its centennial in 2016, Yellowstone is getting more attention here and abroad. From the glossy pages of National Geographic to a U.S. Postal Service stamp, Americans are celebrating Yellowstone this year.

We’re once again reminded how remarkable the park is.

Consider these facts from the National Park Service:

• With more than 10,000 hydrothermal features, Yellowstone has the world’s greatest concentration of geysers as well as steam vents, hot springs and mud pots. The park is home to approximately half of the world’s total active geysers.

• At 22.6 million acres, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the largest collection of contiguous wild lands in the lower 48 states.

• Yellowstone National Park is larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined.

• Beneath Yellowstone is one of the world’s largest active volcanoes.

• Wildlife in the park includes 67 species of mammals, 285 different birds and 16 types of fish.

Last year, Yellowstone saw more than 4 million visitors — a record number. With all the publicity surrounding the Park Service’s centennial, this year is sure to be busy and crowded. Especially during the summer’s peak visitation times, it’s important to pack your patience, as the Park Service says. That’s why it’s good to go in May, when bison jams are less likely and popular attractions are still easily accessible.

It’s also another reason to remember that, while Yellowstone often receives a lot of the attention, we’re blessed with many other scenic areas in our corner of northwest Wyoming.

Just drive pretty much any direction from Powell, and you’re bound to find a beautiful place to explore: Heart Mountain, Bighorn Canyon, Big Horn Mountains, McCullough Peaks, Beartooth Mountains, Pryor Mountains, the North and South forks of the Shoshone River — to name a few. Even Polecat Bench just north of Powell offers spectacular views and is world-famous among paleontologists.

As the weather warms up, it’s the perfect time to get outside. We live in an amazing place that people travel thousands of miles to experience — go explore and enjoy it.

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