The first national park in the US, Yellowstone National Park, will celebrate 150 years this year.
In 1872, this natural wonder straddling Wyoming, Montana and Idaho attracted people from miles away.
Today, its geologic and hydrothermal gems, combined with the amazing wildlife, draws visitors from around the world.
It's said that few places stir the soul and ignite the imagination like the two-million acre Yellowstone National Park.
These days you can even experience Yellowstone the way the first pioneers did by travelling by stagecoach or horseback and enjoying a traditional cookout dinner.
Signed into law by president Ulysses S. Grant, Yellowstone was set aside to preserve and protect the scenery, cultural heritage, wildlife, geologic and ecological systems and processes in their natural condition for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Yellowstone serves as the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the last and largest nearly intact natural ecosystems on the planet.
It has the most active, diverse, and intact collections of combined geothermal features with over 10,000 hydrothermal sites and half the world's active geysers.
The park is also rich in cultural and historical resources, with 25 sites, landmarks and districts on the National Register of Historic Places.
For more 10,000 years before Yellowstone became a national park, it was a place where Native Americans hunted, fished, gathered plants, quarried obsidian and used thermal waters for religious and medicinal purposes.
In this signature year, a variety of virtual and in-person activities will occur in Yellowstone National Park and surrounding gateway communities.
Due to the pandemic, the park does not currently have large-scale events planned, though this may change as the year goes on.
Any time of the year is a great time to visit including winter, when Yellowstone delivers a more intimate experience with fascinating snowy landscapes and frosty animals.
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