Hi. I’m Beth Taylor I’m a park ranger in Yellowstone National Park. Nature and parks are alluring to me because I love to explore and learn new things. I believe in our mission to preserve special places for everyone so working for the National Park Service is a dream come true—and working in Yellowstone is incredible.
It’s a big place with much to discover. There’s so much to take in, it can be a little overwhelming. When I became a ranger here in 1996, I had never visited Yellowstone before. The job involved not only gaining a good grasp of the natural and cultural history, but also relating that to visitors. It was wonderfully challenging and so much fun that it’s become my favorite thing to do.
As a ranger, I’ve frequently been assigned roving duty, which involves talking with visitors along the trails and overlooks. Most visitors have questions about the park and it is fun to point out details about park features and explain the processes at work here.
We’ve decided it would be great if everyone visiting the park’s web site could have a similar opportunity to get information from a roving ranger. These “Inside Yellowstone” videos are intended to give our online visitors their own personal roving ranger. While you can’t ask questions, you can review our list of topics and if something strikes you, click on it to watch a short video on the subject. Or, you can access the videos by clicking on the movie icons on the map.
Remember that each video is less than two minutes in length and is merely an overview. We’ve barely scratched the surface. There’s much more to know! Check out the park’s website for more information. Come to Yellowstone and see it for yourself. Experience the grandeur of the park first hand. In the mean time, thanks for watching our “Inside Yellowstone” videos to learn more about the world’s first national park.
Hi, I’m George Heinz and I’m a park ranger here in Yellowstone National Park. Working in Yellowstone is an amazing experience. Everyday, when I get out of bed, I realize how fortunate I am. I also realize we can follow our dreams.
I started working in Yellowstone in 1978. That summer, when I was driving along the Yellowstone River, just north of the park, I was told that, “If you drink from the Yellowstone, you’ll always come back.” Now, I’m not telling anyone to drink from the river. If you do, filter your water.
It took me years to realize that drinking from the Yellowstone did not mean drinking from the river. It means slowing down enough to take in some of this place’s beauty and majesty, or maybe just learning some of the sounds and smells of the park.
When Yellowstone became the world’s first national park, it was because of the thermal features. Today, there are many things that make Yellowstone worthy of protection. Here, you’ll find one of the largest lakes above 7,000 feet in North America and the only continually free roaming herd of bison in the lower 48. You can see grizzly bears and wolves. And that’s just the short list.
As park rangers, our job is to protect this pristine habitat for future generations, and I’m proud of that.
To learn more about Inside Yellowstone, visit Ranger Beth Taylor’s introduction. And then, let’s go drink from this incredible place.
Hi, I’m Kelli English. I’ve been a park ranger for the national park service since 2001 and I came here to Yellowstone National Park in 2006. Yellowstone is a truly incredible place. The breathtaking mountain scenery and the untouched natural landscapes evoke images of an earlier era, when much of our country was still wilderness.
Animals like bison, grizzly bears and wolves roam freely, living out the dramas of their lives. Here they are protected and will always have a safe haven.
The thermal features are my favorites. Geysers erupt daily in the park’s thermal basins, joyfully sending thousands of gallons of hot water hurdling skyward. Beautiful blue hot springs provide a unique habitat for heat-loving micro-organisms and look great in photographs.
For me, there’s nothing quite like the sounds of Yellowstone. I love the high-pitched yipping of coyotes at sunset, the bizarre gurgling of mudpots, the eerie bugle of a bull elk echoing through the mist on a chilly fall morning. Those are the kinds of experiences that will stay with me always.
One of the neatest things about Yellowstone is that you don’t have to be an experienced hiker or backpacker to enjoy the park. Some folks do come here and spend days in the backcountry, immersing themselves in the outdoors.
However, you can also enjoy Yellowstone sitting down. Three hundred and ten miles of paved roads wind through the park, connecting travelers with our eight visitor centers. Many people have an unforgettable experience right from the front seat of their car.
Our job as park rangers is to protect and preserve this incredible place but also to help people discover and nurture their own special relationship with the park. Please enjoy the Inside Yellowstone videos, and I hope to see you sometime in Yellowstone, creating your own unforgettable experience.
Yellowstone contains approximately one-half of the world’s hydrothermal features. There are over 10,000 hydrothermal features, including over 300 geysers, in the park.
