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The Yellow Stone National Park

The Yellowstone National Park is the first and oldest National Park in the United States of America. It was founded on March 1st, 1872. It embraces about 9000 square kilometres. It is set mainly in Wyoming and a bit into the neighbour states Idaho and Montana. All these States you can find in the north-west of the United States near the Canadian border. The yearly rainfall is between 250mm and 2000mm depending on the height and the position in the park. The most is snow in winter and rain in spring. In summer, the average day temperature amounts 24 to 26 degrees Celsius. The nights are cold down to zero °C. The best time for travelling is in the middle of May to the end of September.

History:
The name probably comes from the Minnetaree Indians. They hunted along the lower part of Yellowstone River where yellowish cliffs are seen on its shores. The Minnetarees called the area “Mi Tsi a-da-zi” which means “Yellow Stone”.
In 1988, there was a big fire in the Yellowstone Park. You can still see the damage of the fire today. At about 3200 square kilometres of nature have been destroyed there.

Landscape:
Yellowstone National Park is nearly 1350 square kilometres of virgin wilderness, land unchanged except by nature itself. Less than 2 percent of the total area has been affected by human intrusion. Not only is it the nations largest wildlife preserve, it is the geological wonderland unlike any other on earth – spouting geysers, bubbling mud spots, pools of boiling water, hundreds of lakes surrounded by forest, rivers and canyons.

Animals and plants:
About 1100 plants are in the park, for example: Monkey flower, Indian paintbrush, Shooting Star, Harebell, Lupine, Glacier Lily. There are lots of conifers.
There are also a lot of animals in the park, like buffalos, bighorn sheep, mooses, elks, mules, pronghorns, squirrels, marmots, chipmunks and many species of birds.
There are also a lot of predators. Predators are animals that feed on other animals. Some of Yellowstone’s predators are black bears, grizzly bears and coyotes. Wolves and mountain lions are rare. It used to be thought that predators were bad because they killed other animals. Many were shot. Today there are protected in the park.

Sights:
Old Faithful: It’s the biggest geyser. It erupts between 60 and 80 minutes his 40 meter high streams.
Minerva Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs : The terraces are formed by hot water flowing through limestone. Carbonic acid in the water dissolves limestone and carries it to the surface. On the surface, it cools and becomes travertine, a new form of limestone.
Castle Geyser : It probably is the oldest geyser of the Upper Geyser Basin. Because of sediments there are fantastic cones.
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone : It is up to 360 meters deep. In the middle of the canyon, the Yellowstone river has got two waterfalls which are falling down at about 90 metres.
5. Liberty Cap : Liberty Cap was formed in the same way as Minerva Terrace at the Mammoth Hot Springs, but it became a very different shape. Water no longer flows from this cone.
6. Midway Geyser Basin : Here is the largest hot fountain and the colourful Grand Prismatic Spring.
7. Lakes : The are four lakes in the park : The biggest one is the Yellowstone Lake with 363 square kilometres. It’s 100 metres deep and has got glassy and cold water. The other lakes are the Shoshone Lake, the Lewis Lake and the Heart Lake.

Activities :
There are a lot of outdoor – activities, for example walking, rafting, hiking, sightseeing and watching animals. You can also rent bikes and boats and , naturally, there is a great shopping scene. The Wildlife of the American West Art Museum is also very attractive to see.

Where to stay :
The best camping sites in the central part of the park are Norris and Madison. All together, there are 11 camping sites. Some places aren’t allowed for camping, they are only for campers.
There are lots of hotels, too. Simply equipped rooms with four roosts costs between 17 $ and 34 $ .The Stage Coach Inn hotel is a bit more expensive, it costs 60 $.

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