Park Facts

History

• Yellowstone National Park was established on March 1, 1872.
• Yellowstone is the world’s first national park.

Geography

No area figures have been scientifically verified. Efforts to confirm the park’s total area continue.

• 3,472 square miles (8,991 km2)
• 2,221,766 acres or 899,116 hectares.
• 63 air miles north to south (102 km)
• 54 air miles east to west (87 km)
• 96% in Wyoming, 3% in Montana, 1% in Idaho
• Highest Point: 11,358 feet (3,462 m; Eagle Peak)
• Lowest Point: 5,282 feet (1,610 m; Reese Creek)
• Larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined
• About 5% covered by water; 15% by grassland; and 80% by forests

Precipitation

Annual precipitation ranges from 10 inches (26 cm) at the north boundary to 80 inches (205 cm) in the southwest corner. Learn more about weather in Yellowstone.

Temperature

• Record High: 99ºF (37ºC), 2002 (Mammoth Hot Springs)
• Record Low: -66ºF (-54ºC), 1933 (West Entrance, Riverside Station).
• Average daily at Mammoth Hot Springs: January: 9ºF (-13ºC); July: 80ºF (27ºC)
• Learn more about weather in Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Lake

• Elevation: 7,733 feet above sea level
• 131.7 square miles of surface area (341.1 km2)
• 141 miles of shoreline (227 km)
• 20 miles north to south (32 km)
• 14 miles east to west (22 km)
• Average depth: 138 feet (42 m)
• Maximum depth: 430 feet (131 m)
• Learn more about Yellowstone Lake

Geology

• The park sits on top of an active volcano.
• One of the world’s largest calderas at 45 x 30 miles (72 x 48 km)
• 1,000–3,000 earthquakes annually
• More than 10,000 hydrothermal features
• More than 500 active geysers (more than half the world's geysers)
• About 290 waterfalls
• Tallest waterfall near a road: Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River at 308 feet (94 m)

Wildlife

• 67 species of mammals, including seven species of native ungulates and two species of bear
• Approx. 330 species of birds (150 nesting)
• 16 species of fish (five nonnative)
• More than seven aquatic invasive species (three having significant detrimental effect)
• Five species of amphibians
• Six species of reptiles
• Two threatened species: Canada lynx, grizzly bears

Vegetation

• Nine species of conifers (more than 80% of forest is lodgepole pine)
• 1,000+ species of native flowering species (3 endemic)
• 225 species of invasive plants
• 186 species of lichens

Cultural Resources

• 27 associated Native American tribes
• More than 1,800 known archeological sites
• More than 300 ethnographic resources (animals, plants, sites)
• 25 sites, landmarks, and districts on the National Register of Historic Places; many more eligible for listing
• One National Historic Trail (Nez Perce)
• More than 840 historic buildings
• More than 1,000,000 museum items, including 30 historic vehicles
• Millions of archived documents
• More than 20,000 books (many rare), manuscripts, periodicals

Employees

National Park Service (2024)

• Total during summer: 748
• Permanent: 392
• Term (variable duration): 4
• Seasonal: 356

Concessioners

About 3,200 people work for concessioners in Yellowstone at summer peak.

Facilities

• Eleven visitor centers, museums, and contact stations
• Nine hotels/lodges (2,000+ hotel rooms/cabins)
• Six NPS-operated campgrounds (450+ sites)
• Five concession-operated campgrounds (1,700+ sites)
• 1,455 buildings
• 52 picnic areas and one marina

Roads & Trails

• Five park entrances
• 392 miles (636 km) of paved roads
• More than 15 miles (24 km) of boardwalk, including 13 self-guiding trails
• Approximately 1,114 miles (1,792 km) of hiking trails
• 92 trailheads
• 299 backcountry campsites

Budget

Fiscal Year 2024 (in millions)
Total: $128.1
Federal Funding: $94.7

• Operations and staff (base): $39.8
• Wildland Fire: $1.4
• Other Appropriations: $3.2

Other Funding: $33.4

• Donations and Grants: $2.1
• Fees: $24.8
• Utilities & Agreements (Reimbursable): $6.5

Distribution of Budget

Park Support: 11% Includes human resources, contracting, budget and finance, partnerships, telecommunications, and information technology.

Facility Operations and Maintenance: 58% Includes utilities, roads, trails, structures, historic preservation coordination, construction management.

Park Protection: 14% Includes law enforcement, emergency medical services, search and rescue, entrance station operations, structural fre activities.

Resource Stewardship: 11% Includes management operations and monitoring of natural and cultural resources, invasive species management, research coordination.

Visitor Services: 6% Includes interpretation and education, and park concessions management.

Visitation

The park recorded 4.74 million visits in 2024, up 44% from 2022, during which historic floods disrupted public access to sections of the park. Detailed park visitation information is available at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/
Top 10 Visitation Years
1. 2021: 4,860,242
2. 2024: 4,744,353
3. 2023: 4,501,382
4. 2016: 4,257,177
5. 2017: 4,116,524
6. 2018: 4,115,000
7. 2015: 4,097,710
8. 2019: 4,020,287
9. 2020: 3,806,306
10. 2010: 3,640,185