Yellowstone and Beyond

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARKS MT. MORAN KEN CANNING STATE LINE TRAIL OVERLOOKING BIGHORN CANYON, MT AND WY SUZANNE MORSTAD / NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

An Ecosystem to Experience

MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES, BOZEMAN, MT Dinosaurs of a feather flock together in the paleontology section, where researchers first deduced that the extinct creatures were ancestors of modern birds. HELENA
To Helena and Great Falls

ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH WILDERNESS, MT Travel on foot or horseback in this million-acre expanse of craggy peaks above high plateaus dotted with glacial lakes. Consider hiring a guide in this wilderness.

MONTANA BUNKHOUSES WORKING RANCH VACATIONS Whoa, dudes! These are real, working cattle ranches where you might have to fix fences or ride herd to earn your campfire beans. Mosey on over to www.montanaworkingranches.com.

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BIGHORN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, MT and WY Yellowtail Dam transformed the Bighorn River from a muddy flatland stream into a cold tail-water fishery for brown and rainbow trout. The upstream reservoir offers 55 miles of deep-canyon navigation.
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Bridger Bowl Ski Area A renegade among major ski areas, Bridger Bowl operates as a nonprofit community amenity, eschewing the resort sprawl that drives other big hill operations. The facility has grown apace with Bozeman, from one rope tow and a Quonset hut in 1955 to todays eight chair lifts and three day-lodges. GALLATIN
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Notable National Parks

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Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks lie at the heart of this regions 36 million acres, and anchor its rich legacy of conservation. Greater Yellowstone holds some of the countrys first designated wilderness areas, and among its seven national forests, Wyomings Shoshone was the countrys first. Grand Teton National Park is a place of simple beauty. Sometimes the least complicated activity rejuvenates our spirits the most, like skiing under the moon reflecting off the snow, marveling at night turning into day, or watching the mountains light up from top to bottom at sunrise. You might feel alone on top of a peak, but at any moment an insect might crawl from beneath a rock, a moose could wander by, or an eagle might soar overhead.
Elizabeth Maki, Moose District Interpreter, Grand Teton National Park

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To Missoula

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Butte E 46 MOONEY G BERT

AIRPORT

Sacajawea Hotel Named for the young Shoshone woman who guided Lewis and Clark in the early 19th century, this elegant hotel has been rebuilt several times since 1910, when its original structure was recycled from a yet-earlier hotel.

Toston

FOREST

Headwaters of the Missouri River Annual flooding saved this confluence of three Missouri River tributaries from settlement, and the ancient hunting grounds, now a state park, remain as wild as when Lewis and Clark camped here in 1805.

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Lake Adam

The Grand Hotel A drifter can still order up a drink in the saloon of this 1890 hostelry, but it now caters to travelers with more highfalutin palates who more likely ask for Chardonnay than five-cent whiskey.
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Western Heritage Center Works of renowned Western artist J.K. Ralston are on permanent display, along with the painter's actual log-cabin studio. Oral histories of the Crow and Cheyenne contribute to a comprehensive understanding of Montana's human heritage. Broadview
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Sweetgrass & Winston Rod Builders 2 E Whitehall Watch master craftsmen shape Chinese E on bamboo into luxury-priced, old-time fishing ers Cardwell poles at Sweetgrass Rods in downtown Twin Bridges. Then, a short drive away and a hundred years later, peek at the mechanized production of carbon-fiber fly rods at the Winston Rod Company.
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Bozeman Community Co-op Wheel the buckboard round to Bozeman Community Co-op where the meats are local and organic and the fruits and veggies are grown naturally. E Yellow Springdale s to
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Working Ranch Vacations

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GALLATIN FIELD AIRPORT

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In 1872, Yellowstone became the worlds first national park. The story-telling art of interpretation began here, as hotel staff and stagecoach drivers gave guided tours to curious visitors. Geyser gazers hung out at the geothermal spots, exchanging detailed observations for tourist tips. We still have geyser gazers today, sitting in floppy hats on hot summer days, logging geyser behavior into notebooks, and chatting with visitors, though no longer for money.
Lee Whittlesey, historian, Yellowstone National Park

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BEAVERHEADDEERLODGE NATIONAL FOREST

Madison River The Madison in midsummer is popular with drift boats anglers who fly cast into the riffles in the hunt for big trout. Norris E

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Museum of the Rockies

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Great Montana Sheep Drive

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Ennis Outdoor bronzes of anglers and cowboys meet up with the real thing on Main Street. Ennis is the fly fishing hub of the Madison Valley, where bookstore browsers and ice cream lovers also find plenty to do.

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Norris Hot Springs Soak, inside and out, at this roadside spa, where the water is of the Gods, and the wine list is infernal, featuring Jezebel Pinot Noir, and 7 Deadly Sins Zinfandel. Regional folk and bluegrass musicians play poolside.
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Chico Hot Springs Hot mineral baths have soaked Yellowstone travelers since the 1860s. Geothermal greenhouse provides organic veggies for the resort kitchens.
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Roosevelt Arch Looming over the open landscape like the last relic of a city wall, Roosevelt Arch was erected from volcanic basalt in 1903, upon a cornerstone mortared into place by Americas president and patriarch of conservation.
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everal years ago, I was fly-fishing with a buddy in backcountry Yellowstone. The dusk sky turned Technicolor and the temperature dropped as the sun slipped behind the mountains. The stream cut deeply into the terrain so tall banks obscured the view both ways. We could smell something musky, and suddenly there was an explosive splash no C06-09NGS-821 more than 20 yards upstream around the blind corner. A moment later, the current filled with GWIP.Mex.Glob feathers, a slick of blood, and pieces of a duck. GWIP Mexico Th My friend and I exchanged glances. We never saw the bear. All that remained were evidence Final proof of his kill and his tracks. We were reminded this 7-7-00 was his neighborhood, and we were the guests and that was as it should be. And how this place was intended to be. Think about a region so awe-inspiring that after having seen it in 1871, the members of the Hayden Expedition sat around a campfire near the Madison River and conceived of an entity both audacious and visionary: A National Park. 46 By 1872, it was called The National Park. It was one of Americas greatest ideas and gifts to the world: 2.2 million acres containing 10,000 thermal features, spectacular geological diversity, and native wildlife in stunning numbers. The parks creation launched a concept that has spawned thousands of national parks in countries around the world, including its dramatic sister park, Grand Teton. My first of more than a hundred visits to Yellowstone took place when I was a child in the 1960s when bears begged tourists for food instead of hunting it in the backcountry. Things have changed since then and the wildness has returned. Wolves are back and restorative fires are allowed to burn. We neighbors think its still Americas best national park.

ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH WILDERNESS, MT DONNIE SEXTON

CASTLE GEYSER, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WY SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

CATTLE DRIVE NEAR BIG TIMBER, MT KWOK WING KEUNG

BIG MIKE, OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES

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Carbon County Historical Society and Museum This 1909 former union hall details the 1943 Smith Mine explosion that killed 75 coal miners and remains the central event in county history. CUSTER NATIONAL FOREST

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C.J. Box, novelist, Wyoming

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Historic Festival Museum Natural or scenic area Other point of interest

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Madison County Courthouse 357 Ruby River Res.

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Historic Crail Ranch Weekend quilt shows, craft markets, and fiddle music vitalize this early 20th century homestead as a living expression of Big Sky culture, then and now.

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Bear Creek Saloon and Steakhouse

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World heritage site Scenic route Protected Areas Indian reservation National forest National park
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CHESTERFIELD TOWNSITE, ID Lovingly resurrected by modern Latter-day Saints, this Mormon settlement flourished astride the Oregon Trail from 1880 to 1920. The spare, elegant architecture includes the Meeting House, the Tithing Office, and the Honeymoon House, which newlyweds were allowed to use rent-free until the birth of a child, or the communitys next marriage.

Dell

S Spencer Opal Mines Serious rock hounds may, for a fee, dig up to five pounds of precious opal from the main mine. Casual collectors may sift through a pile of ore behind the shop.
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Bucks T-4 Restaurant Toast your darling with a huckleberry martini in the Wedding Garden and then chow down on braised bison short ribs, followed by chocolate-and-cherry soup.
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Museum of the National Park Ranger Learn why a detachment of U.S. Cavalry evolved into the Ranger service, and how they got their flat-brimmed hats.
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PRONGHORN ANTELOPE GRAZING NEAR PETROLEUM DRILL, RED DESERT, WY SHATTIL & ROZINSKI / NATUREPL.COM

Rendezvous Ski Trails More than 35 Kilometers (22 miles) of impeccably groomed and dog-free trails attract cross-country skiers of all persuasions, from classic kick-and-gliders to speedy skaters and sharp-eyed biathlon rifle shooters.
Lower Red Rock L.
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In winter, only guided oversnow vehicles can use most park roadsexcept the road from Yellowstone National Park Gardiner to Cooke City, which Just yesterday, in geological time, the area is open year-round. that is now Yellowstone National Park

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West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center Madison Junior Ranger Station

YELLOWSTONE N AT I O N A L PA R K
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exploded, creating a caldera 35 miles wide and 45 miles long. A mere 640,000 years later, geysers, mud pots, and fumeroles remind visitors that this precious ecosystem remains perched atop a vast hydrothermal underworld. The surface subsides or bulges by several inches annually due to deep migrations of molten rock.

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The UNESCO World Heritage List recognizes the most signicant cultural and natural treasures on the planet.

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Island Park The longest Main Street in America, at 33 miles Island Park Reservoir

Old Faithful Visitor Education Center

B UFFALO BILL SCENIC BYWAY

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Buffalo Bill State Park

Buffalo Bill Reservoir

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Dubois Museum
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Harriman State Park The Henrys Fork wanders eight miles through this riparian preserve where 20 miles of motor-free trails are stalked by birders, wildlife photographers, and, in winter, cross-country skiers. The park encompasses Railroad Ranch where visitors can ride trail on hired horses.
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WINEGAR HOLE WILDERNESS

Colter Bay Area Kindle a fire in the wood stove and nestle into one of the parks 166 log cabins, tucked amid pines and aspens, along the shoreline of Jackson Lake.
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER, JR. MEMORIAL PARKWAY
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Meeteetse Museums

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Mesa Falls Recreational Area Geologic, natural, and historical features abound throughout Upper and Lower Mesa Falls, all easily accessible along the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway. The Big Falls Inn (built 191214) was an early stage stop and hotel for visitors traveling to Yellowstone National Park, and now serves as a visitor center in the summer and warming hut for snow travelers in the winter.

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PARK COUNTYS HISTORIC DUDE RANCHES Dude ranches thrived a century ago at the peak of Americas infatuation with the western frontier. Survivors include the Rimrock, the Bill Cody, the Crossed Sabres, the UXU, and the 7D.

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Landscape Changes and Challenges

The biggest challenge to wildlife here will be global warming. The numbers Ive seen say the western U.S. could lose half its wild trout habitat by the end of this century. That would be devastating for fishing, local economies, and the whole ecology of the place. Grizzlies wont make it without fish, and Yellowstone without grizzlies is hard to imagine.
Craig Matthews, fly shop owner, Blue Ribbon Flies, West Yellowstone, MT
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CAMAS N.W.R. Mud Lake

Beaver Dick Park Richard Beaver Dick Leigh, one of the last of the real mountain men of this valley, helped in the survey of Yellowstone. Nearby are the graves of his Shoshone wife Jenny and their six children who perished together from smallpox. Parker

Ashton Res. American Dog Derby

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Jackson Lake Lodge Raft the Snake River, then take in the Tetons through the soaring windows of the lodges upper lobby.

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Sunshine Res.

Henrys Fork Greenway

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Saint Anthony

Kirwin One of the ruins in this long-abandoned, high-elevation town belonged to lost aviator Amelia Earhart who had hoped to recuperate here after her 1937 round-theworld flight. Grass Creek
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BUFFALO BILL STATE PARK Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway parallels the North Fork of the Shoshone from Yellowstone to Buffalo Bill State Park, where the river disappears into a vast reservoir. Wind-surfers, paddlers, and anglers enjoy the wide-open water behind Buffalo Bill Dam, which visitors may cross on foot, 350 feet above the floor of the downstream canyon.
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WORLAND MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

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Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum Idaho farm boy Philo T. Farnsworth sketched his idea for moving-picture radio on a high school blackboard here in 1922. See an early Farnsworth television, along with his patents and family fiddle, one of many to fall silent across potato country because of Philos invention. Colonial Theater/Willard Arts Center The Idaho Falls Arts Council enriches the community with classes, gallery shows, and live performances in a restored 1919 vaudeville theater.

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Henrys Fork River This tributary of the Snake River is an essential destination for the world's most committed anglers.
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C A RI B O U Heise Hot Springs S E Ririe Take an apres-ski dunk in 105-degree mineral water.

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Grand Greater Yellowstone Teton K 13770 ft Geotourism Center

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Jenny Lake District Jenny Lake Lodge is television-free, so guests can make the most of the lakes hiking, riding, and fishing trails.

Togwotee Pass Roadside snow cuts surrender to midsummer wildflowers at the Continental Divide.

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Three years ago, you couldnt see any drilling rigs from town. Thats all changed now. We have to get the balance right between wilderness, recreation, and natural gas development. Last winter, we had four ozone alerts here, and that helped wake people up to what we could be losing.
Mindi Crabb, Pinedale, WY

IDAHO FALLS REGIONAL AIRPORT

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Museum of Idaho Take a stroll down Main Street, circa 1890.

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Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center E Moose A forest of fir logs supports the jagged peaks of the roof line, expressing an architectural Phelps L. E Kelly sense of place. E 26 JACKSON HOLE k 89 AY 31 Victor AIRPORT NATIONAL e YW E NIC B ELK Teton 191 SCE N Village REFUGE O

The Green River Green River water and wildlife attracted Native Americans, mountain men, ranchers, and most recently, recreational floaters and anglers.

Legend Rock Petroglyph Site See ancient carvings and images, still on the same sheltered cliff face where a succession of rock artists created them over a period of at least two thousand years. E Hamilton Dome
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Hot Springs State Park Steep in hot mineral water, and then pay respects to some of the Wests forgotten characters at Smoky Row Cemetery.

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National Museum of Wildlife Art The sandstone building is itself a masterpiece. Inside, 14 exhibition galleries display paintings, photographs, and sculptures celebrating North American wildlife.

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Cliff Creek Falls Walk, pedal, or giddy-up along a cutthroat trout stream to a pair of cliff-hanging cascades.

St. Hubert the Hunter Church WILDERNESS Just five courses of logs were set in place for the churchs first wedding in 1940. Volunteers completed the structure with the cash from the sale of a diamond donated to the Episcopal Church of America. The annual Bondurant Barbecue supports church activities including morning prayer throughout the summer.
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Fort Washakie Historic Site This military post was named for the Shoshone chief and U.S. army scout buried here with full military honors.
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B R I D G E R Fremont Lake Skyline Drive from Pinedale skirts this long, natural lake shaped by glaciers.
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GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK Named by French-speaking fur traders, the Teton Range rises abruptly alongside Wyomings western boundary. Paddlers ripple the reflections of snow-tipped mountain peaks, backpackers overnight in bear country, and photographers stalk grazing elk and pronghorn antelope. The Tetons were protected and appended to Yellowstone as a separate national park in 1929.

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Idaho Museum of Natural History See how the bones of a large bull mammoth E were raised from Tolo Lake in 1994. Portneuf Greenway Riparian trails and urban pathways are maintained by the Portneuf Greenway Foundation
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National Geographic and the people of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming present this Geotourism MapGuide to the Greater Yellowstone region. Lead project partners include the National Geographic Center for Sustainable Destinations, National Geographic Maps, and the Greater Yellowstone Geotourism Stewardship Council, with regional coordination provided by Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the Yellowstone Business Partnership. We gratefully acknowledge funding support from the following: Bureau of Land Management; Greater Yellowstone Coalition; Idaho Division of Tourism Development; National Park Service; Travel Montana and its partners, Yellowstone Country tourism region and the Bozeman, Big Sky, and West Yellowstone Convention and Visitor Bureaus; United States Forest Service; and Wyoming Travel and Tourism. Text by Michele Archie, author; Tom Miller, editor. Map notes by David Thomas Visit www.yellowstonegeotourism.net to learn more about the Greater Yellowstone region.
Copyright 2009 National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.
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Heart of the West Invitiational Art Show and Sale

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Wyoming Range This high-elevation backcountry of elk range and trout streams anchors the southern reaches of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and is a favorite of resident hunters, anglers, and horsemen.

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Festivals & Events

International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race various, WY (January or February) This race across Wyoming into Utah is the largest in the lower 48. Its stage stop format allows for a stop in a different town each night, where activities may include games, carnivals, and fireworks. www.wyomingstagestop.org American Dog Derby Ashton, ID (mid-February) Historic dog sled race that runs from Ashton, Idaho to Yellowstone Park. Five different races are offered plus a host of other activities including a snowshoe race and a weight pull in which spectators and their dogs compete. www.americandogderby.org The Brewery Follies Virginia City, MT (May through September) A risque contemporary cabaret act in Montanas first brewery, the H.S. Gilbert Brewery. www.breweryfollies.net Cody Nite Rodeo and Stampede Cody, WY (June through August) For 90 nights Cody hosts the Rodeo, a fun event for the rodeo lover, highlighted by the Kids Calf Scramble for children. Many of the top competitors take part in the prestigious Buffalo Bill Cody Stampede held in early July. www.codystampederodeo.com Plains Indian Museum Powwow Cody, WY (3rd weekend in June) Celebration of family, tradition, and the culture of the people of the Plains. This colorful and vibrant Powwow includes a learning tipi for children, dance competitions, music, and arts and crafts. www.bbhc.org/Events/powwow.cfm Eastern Shoshone Indian Days Fort Washakie, WY (last weekend in June) Wyomings largest powwow invites people to gather from throughout North America. Visitors can experience traditional dances, drum contests, a parade, food, and crafts. www.easternshoshone.net/IndianDays.html Teton Valley Summer Festival Driggs, ID (week of July 4) Four days of art and craft shows, hot air balloon rides, breakfasts, contests, parades, and much more. www.tetonvalleychamber.com Pioneer Days Parade and Rodeo Lander, WY (July 3 and 4) In its 114th year, this event remains the worlds oldest paid rodeo. Other activities include a barbeque, parade, and fireworks display. www.landerchamber.org/annualevents.aspx Mountain Man 1838 Rendezvous Riverton, WY (Wednesdays, July to September) Celebrating the original 1838 rendezvous site this event, through traditional competitions, reenactments, and seminars, encourages novices to share the experience of life during the trappers era. www.1838rendezvous.com Green River Rendezvous Pageant Pinedale, WY (2nd weekend in July) Relives history with pageants, parades, local food and crafts, demonstrations, Sunday prairie mass, and a rodeo. www.meetmeonthegreen.com Shoshone-Bannock Indian Festival Fort Hall, ID (2nd weekend in August) A traditional gathering complete with food, crafts, special performances, and thousands of people from all over North America competing in singing and dance competitions. www.shoshonebannocktribes.com/festival Crow Fair Crow Agency, MT (3rd weekend in August) Large gathering of the Crow or Apsalooke Nation, renowned internationally for their horsemanship and beadwork, who have lived in this region since the 1700s. Highlights include a parade, rodeo, dancing, horse races, and a powwow. www.crow-fair.com Great Montana Sheep Drive Reed Point, MT (September) Highlighted by the running of hundreds of locally-bred sheep down main street, this event also features a parade, rides, and a dance. visitmt.com/whatsnew/features/sheepishfun.htm Rabbitstick Rexburg, ID (3rd week in September) The largest and oldest primitive skills gathering in the United States, filled with dozens of workshops followed by musical entertainment. www.backtracks.net Bridger Raptor Festival Bozeman, MT (October) Dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of local wildlife, centered around the largest known golden eagle migration in the United States. Activities include a wildlife film festival, nature walks, and entertainment for the entire family. www.bridgerraptorfest.org Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Jackson Hole, WY (early October) Encourages the production of natural history programming around the world through the exploration of new technology. Celebrates the worlds finest examples of wildlife filmmaking through its film competition. www.jhfestival.org Heart of the West Invitational Art Show and Sale Lander, WY (mid-October) The show attracts some of the best artists from Wyoming as well as out of state. Held over two days, events include a wine and scotch tasting, cowboy gear exhibition, auction, and patrons ball. www.landerchamber.org/heartofthewesthome.aspx

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Marbleton Enders Hotel and Museum The 100-foot fountain out back erupts precisely on the hour. Thats because its a mechanically bored geothermal well, controlled by a valve and timer. Big Piney
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NA TIO NA L

235

Thatcher

Bennington E
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F O RES T
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Museum of the Mountain Man They went where no white man had gone before. The fur traders of the early 1800s adopted Native American ways while introducing commerce, guns, and disease.

South Pass City

28

E Atlantic E

City

South Pass City

C A R I BOU
15

30

E Swanlake

Montpelier E Calpet Paris

E
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Sinks Canyon State Park The Popo Agie River disappears ghost-like through a canyon wall to emerge downstream as a placid basin teeming with trout.

Sweet

ter wa

Greater Yellowstone Region

IDAHO, MONTANA, and WYOMING including Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

N A T I ON A L
E

C A C H E
Mink Creek
91

F O RES T
La

E La

Barge

Big Sandy Res. Eden Res.

Malad City
38

Clifton

89

National Outdoor Leadership School Get outfitted with topo maps, rental gear, and bulk foods at the National Outdoor Leadership Schools Rocky Mountain expedition provisioning outlet in downtown Lander.

Bloomington

F OR ES T
36

NA TIO NA L
Dayton E Weston E
E Preston

BEAR LAKE N.W.R.

E E E Fish

St. Charles

Cr ee k

Farson
Fontenelle Reservoir
28

Cokeville

Haven

en Font elle Creek

E Eden

42

E Franklin

F O RES T
E

Bear
Bear

Fish Story

112
89

Garden City

Lake

Bear Lake State Park Boaters have a 20-mile length of highaltitude lake to explore, while four miles of gently sloping beach provide safe, warm swimming in late summer.
189

42
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MOUNTAIN MAN AT THE GREEN RIVER RENDEZVOUS PARADE, PINEDALE, WY RUSTY GOOCH

FISHING ON THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER, NEAR LIVINGSTON, MT BOB & ESTELA ALLEN PHOTOGRAPHY

BISON STAYING WARM IN GEYSER BASIN, YNP JEFF VANUGA

geotourism (n): Tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a placeits environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.

The Yellowstone River flows right down the block from where I live. You can float it in big wooden boats, or in rubber rafts with a bunch of people. I have a small sturdy boat the size of a truck tire. It has no real floor except for the seat, so when you pull over to a shallow spot you can stand up and fish. Trout fishing is very big here. In the Yellowstone, you have your choice of introduced brown, rainbow, or the native cutthroat trout. Cutthroats have red slash marks under the jaws; they look like their throats have been cut. Since cuts are relatively rare and out-competed by introduced trout, your conscientious fisherman will always release the natives. Smaller creeks have brook trout. The brookies eat a lot of fresh water crustaceans and, to my taste, have a richer flavor than big river trout. In July, after the runoff, a certain kind of large bug, the salmon fly, hatches on the river. Its a good time to fish for big trout. The trick is to match the hatchsee what manner of insect is presently completing its life cycle and floating on the surface. Then tie a dry fly replica on your line and cast for a fish that is rising and eating those insects. Thats right: youre matching wits with an animal whose brain is the size of a fingernail clipping. Still, theres really nothing much more thrilling than catching the precise fish youre casting to on a properly chosen dry fly.
Tim Cahill, author, Livingston, MT

30

FOSSIL BUTTE NAT. MONUMENT

E Frontier E Kemmerer

E Laketown

SEEDSKADEE N.W.R.
E E Superior
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Diamondville

UTAH
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Rock Springs Green River E

ROCK SPRINGS SWEETWATER COUNTY AIRPORT

80
SNOWSHOEING IN GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WY FRED PFLUGHOFT, COURTESY OF WYOMING TRAVEL & TOURISM

Four Season Recreation

Mountain Men
In the early 1800s, mountain men like Jedediah Smith and John Colter fired Americans imaginations about the vast western territory. The exploits of these free-roaming fur trappers were legendary. Though their era faded by the early 1840s, their paths can sometimes be detected in place-names that honor them like the Snake Rivers Henrys Fork, named for trapper Andrew Henry, who spent the winter of 1810 hunkered down along its banks.
Nancy Stratford, Island Park Historical Society president, Island Park, ID

From scenic drives to extreme ice climbing, youll find outdoor recreation for every season and every body. Its never far to the nearest trailhead, trout stream, or ski area. Exploring wild places, our cardinal responsibility is to connect, learn, and appreciate. My young daughter and I spent one tent-bound night blindly trying to decipher sounds of thundering hooves and splashing. Morning showed the lakeshore riddled with tracks. Mama moose and calf had taken refuge in the lake while wolves chased along the shore. My daughter still talks about the night the moose outsmarted the wolves.
Thomas Turiano, author and mountain guide, Wilson, WY

In the 1930s, fly fishing in Montana was exotic. Today we have fly rod manufacturers, fly tyers, guides, lodges, second homes, and a lot of interest in healthy rivers, all stemming from the confluence of world-class trout streams and enterprising people who saw fly fishing as another way to make a living in our remote communities.
Kris Hauck, owner, El Western Cabins and Lodges, Ennis, MT

The 19th century rendezvous began as a vehicle for trappers and traders to meet up, and exchange furs for provisions. Our modern rendezvous continues the tradition of showing off skills, swapping stories, and having a good timewhile protecting 100 acres of the historical site of the 1838 rendezvous. We try to emulate the situation as it would have been in mountain man days, down to handstitched clothing, muzzle loading firearms, and tomahawkthrowing competitions.
John Boesch, 1838 Rendezvous Association, Riverton, WY

HIKING IN GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WY BETH WALD / AURORA PHOTOS

Lots of people think of sagebrush drylands as expendable. Yet, sage grouse depend on these areas, which also provide indispensable food and cover for mule deer, pronghorn, wild birds, and rodents. Fire keeps competing plants from crowding out sagebrush, but its getting harder to allow natural fires to burn when we have to protect all the homes that border public lands. Thats a big reason sagebrush is one of the most threatened habitats in Wyoming.

Jackson Hole Museum Learn about Jacksons petticoat government, an all-woman town council elected in 1920 to supervise a lively frontier community of churches, playhouses, and saloons.

Swan Valley E

Green River Lakes The upper of these two glacier-made lakes is designated wilderness where boating is restricted to paddle power. The Green River Campground is at the end of the rough road from Pinedale and is reputed by backcountry enthusiasts to be one of the Forest Services most scenic.

Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center The cherry wood bar salvaged from the Hole-in-the-Wall Saloon was a favorite lean of outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at the turn of the 20th century.

Irwin

NA T I O NA L

G R OS

V EN TR E W I LDER N ESS

FITZPATRICK
26 287

Basalt Firth
E

Palisades Dam

W I N D
E Crowheart

R I V E R
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E

F O RE ST
Palisades Reservoir

F O R E S T
Green

Mu dd y

Moreland Rockford E

91

Blackfoot E

Gannett Peak Skilled climbers endure a 45-mile, 20-hour return trip for a view of the Rockies five largest surviving glaciers.

vem ile Cr e

Cr

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Pavillion

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WINDSURFER, BUFFALO BILL STATE PARK, NEAR CODY, WY WADE MCKOY / FOCUSPRODUCTIONS.COM

Henrys Lake State Park This high-country lake and immaculately maintained campground swarm with anglers when the snouts of feeding trout dimple the surface. A2

Island Park E

Yellowstone Historic Center The abandoned Union Pacific depot is now a museum, set amid other steam-era facilities that include a water tower, oil house, and crew dormitory.

Lake

Fishing Bridge Visitor Center

Bridge

S H O S H O N E
NORTH ABSAROKA WILDERNESS
Cody Nite Rodeo
E

12244 Trout Peak K ft

Stevenson I.

Cody

Buffalo Bill Historical Center Find out all about the American West: Buffalo Bill, the Plains Indian peoples, western art, firearms, and natural history.

310 32

Buffalo Bill Dam

YELLOWSTONE REGIONAL AIRPORT

Emblem E

EM
I

O ND I AL

Albright Visitor Center

Yellowstone Association Headquarters Located in the historic Halls Store. E Get Yellowstone trip planning advice Tower and browse the bookstore.

Heart Mountain Relocation Center Wartime hysteria caused 10,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry to be detained here from 1942 to 1945. Hundreds of internees joined the U.S. army as volunteers or conscripts; others were jailed for demanding restoration of their civil liberties in exchange for military service.

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A Remarkable Land T
How about the rapid explosion of coal-bed methane hose of us lucky enough to live in the wells? In a region where everyone is invested in the Yellowstone region rarely step back and environment, opinions about its management run as marvel at its diversity, chaos, and unique hot and deep as the wondrous thermal system in Yelqualities. lowstone itself. And like that thermal activity, there Despite the perennial stories about Yellowstone are frequent eruptions. (and other national parks) being loved to death, These different outlooks take place amidst some only two percent of the park is developed. Beyond of the most stunning terrain on earth. To top it the heavily-trafficked figure-eight road system, you'll off, these contemporary environmental issues bubfind the park untouched, rugged, and spectacular. Its ble just a few miles away from the mouth of the 3,700 square miles are remarkably untrammeled. Yellowstone Caldera, an ancient active volYet not far from the park borders, controcano that, according to some scientists, versy simmers over development, whether CANADA may be 60,000 years overdue to explode. for natural gas, oil, coal, or wind. ExtenThe fate of Yellowstone's ecosystem sive resort construction and the recent is fast approaching a crossroads. A wide proliferation of ranchettes are transformrange of opinion is taking shape while the ing the landscape. Want to start an argucaldera itself shows increasing signs of ment in Wyoming, Montana, or Idaho? UNITED STATES life. Its an exciting time to live here. Ask about wolf reintroduction, grizzly bear C.J. Box, novelist, Wyoming management, fire policy, or grazing rights.

GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK MOMATIUK - EASTCOTT / CORBIS

BLAIR LAKE, CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, ID PEGGY HAMLEN

Native Peoples
From Prehistory to Contemporary Life
Eleven thousand years of following bison, berries, and the seasons ended for native peoples in the 1800s, as America came looking for gold, farmland, and a manifest destiny. Only five of some two-dozen American Indian tribes that traveled Yellowstones trails were granted land here, collected onto three reservations. Our Shoshone people have ancient connections with Yellowstone. Many tribes were drawn to the heated waters that come from deep in the earth. Water is a great conductor of the spirit world, and the spiritual presence of this ancient water is especially strong.
Ren Freeman, Director, Eastern Shoshone Museum and Heritage Center, Fort Washakie, WY
BIGHORN MEDICINE WHEEL AT SOLSTICE TOM MELHAM SHOSHONE RELAY RACE ON THE FORT HALL INDIAN RESERVATION, ID MARILYN ANGEL WYNN / NATIVESTOCK.COM

Magnificent Wildlife
At Home in the Landscape
Now that the gray wolf is back, Greater Yellowstone is again home to the full complement of animals that Lewis and Clark might have seen here on their voyage of discovery. "Visiting, recreating, or living here, we have to alter our behaviorwe cant expect wildlife to change how they act just because were around. Bears, for example, have remarkable memories. One bag of potato chips at a campground or one bowl of pet food left outside can put that place permanently on the bear's mental map of places I go to look for food. Thats how wild bears become problem bears."
Libby Scott, animal curator, Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, West Yellowstone, MT
WOLF CIRCLING ELK PRIOR TO PACK AMBUSH, YELLOWSTONE N.P . DARYL L. HUNTER / THE HOLE PICTURE

Mis souri

111
Br

110W

109

46

TR A

Sh i

ds el

Big Hole

MONTA NA

Crow Agency E

Big Hole

Bozeman

Pictograph Cave State Park and National Monument Generations of hunters left behind their wall art, arrowheads, and even Eskimo harpoon tips acquired through inter-tribal trade.
o ne

Madis on

Madison Buffalo Jump State Park

Madison

RT DGE R I BRI L

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Silence prevails over the 1876 battlefield where Sitting Bull's coalition of warriors overwhelmed General Custer's Seventh Calvary in the most famous massacre of America's Indian Wars. To sense the war whoops and the dying moans, join Crow interpreters for a narrated tour. Billings E

Mi sso uri

D EERLO D GE

GALLATIN

SOW WITH CUBS, YELLOWTONE NATIONAL PARK JEFF VANUGA

Cra

Butte ENATIO NA L
BEAVERHEAD NATIONAL

NATIONAL GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST Bridger Raptor Festival

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HAILSTONE N.W.R. HALFBREED LAKE N.W.R.

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BEAVERHEAD NATIONAL FOREST

Bozeman E

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CROW INDIAN
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12799 ft

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RESERVATION
ho rn
BOZE
MA
N

Gravelly Range

45

Nez Perce Historic Trail The Nez Perce escaped the U.S. Cavalry along this trail after winning a battle at Camas Meadows in 1877. They were overtaken just short of refuge at the Canadian border.

Chief Plenty Coups State Park The Medicine Spring on this former homestead of Chief Plenty Coups invites everyone to meditate upon their shared occupation of the West. The revered Apsalooke chief chose diplomacy over war to protect reservation lands coveted Bighorn by settlers and railroad builders. Medicine Wheel
Big

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METCALF

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on osh Stones of this 700-year-old Sh observatory align with the arc of

e

ts

the sun at the summer solstice.

Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Just 69 trumpeter swans lived in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem when this refuge was designated in 1935. Today, 400 reside yearround in the region, joined in winter by 4,000 more from Canada.
BEAVERHEAD NATIONAL FOREST

WILDERNESS

Silver Gate E E Cooke City

SHOSHONE
NORTH ABSAROKA

Hebgen Lake

West HenrysYellowstone E
Lake

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Yellowstone

The Lamar Valley Dawn and dusk are best to hear the wolf packs of the Lamar Valley. In between, watch for grizzly bears, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, and the park's free-roaming bison.

PRYOR MTS. NATIONAL WILD HORSE RANGE N.W.R.

Big h

LEE

WILDERNESS

GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST

Red Lodge

or n

Granite Peak K

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GALLATIN NATIONAL a Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center l lw Watch rescued grizzlies here claw, bite, and Sti pound garbage containers. Products that reCUSTER sist 60 minutes of grizzly abuse are certified NATIONAL as bear-resistant. Visitors may also witness ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH wolf family behavior at this not-for-profit wildYe FOREST FOREST life haven and public education facility.

lla

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Visitors enjoy safe encounters with rescued bears, wolves, and mountain lions.
E

Beartooth Nature Center

K
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CUSTER NAT. FOREST

BIGHORN

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Camas Meadows Battleground Nez Perce braves captured grazing army mules in a midnight raid in 1877. The cavalry caught up with them but the natives prevailed, escaping into Yellowstone Park with the captured pack animals.

Colter Bay Visitor Center and Indian Arts Museum

He n

Jackson Lake

Tribal artisans sustain age-old skills alongside historical collections of American Indian crafts.

Wind River Indian Reservation The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes share this 2.2 million-acre Indian Reservation north of Lander. The reservation was established in 1864 through the Bridger-Teton Treaty with the U.S. government.

Jackie Yellowtail, coordinator, Apsaalooke Tours, Crow Agency, MT

Mark Petroni, US Forest Service District Ranger, retired, Madison Valley, MT, Fort Hall, ID

Big Springs National Natural Landmark Area Headwaters for Henrys Fork, Big Springs is a spawning refuge for trout and the start of a five-mile national water trail where boaters may drift, but not fish. Nearby, you can visit the historic Johnny Sack Cabin.
CAMAS N.W.R.

re

FOREST

Lewis L.

WA S H A KIE WILDERN ES S

E Ashton

WINEGAR HOLE WILDERNESS JEDEDIAH

Meeteetse

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BIGHORN NATIONAL FOREST

Buffalo Bill Historical Center Draper Museum of Natural History

Introduces visitors to the natural history of the Greater Yellowstone Region, including curator-led wildlife tours.
WILDERNESS

12244 ft Trout

Peak

EMuseum

Island Park

Cody

Plains Indian Powwow

BRIDG ER TR

Yellowstone Lake

AIL

l ul yb

Theres a powerful feeling at our most sacred places, such as the medicine wheel in the Bighorn Mountains. My grandfather told stories about how the medicine wheel used to be much taller than it is now. But people took rocks from the wheel, maybe to take that feeling with them. We need to have respect, not just for Indian sacred sites, but for every place.

Were known around the world for our public lands, but animals like elk, deer, and pronghorn depend on private landmostly farms and ranches in our open valleys. These animals come down from the mountains to find food and milder weather. Carnivores follow. The whole ecosystem depends on private lands.

Island Park
NATIONAL

CARIBOU-TARGHEE

Cowboys keep cattle on the move to optimize grazing value and wildlife Lake habitat on this working ranch.

The Nature Conservancy's Flat Ranch

Cody

E Greybull

NATIONAL

TETON

BRIDGER-TETON
Jackson Lake WILDERNESS

ys

rk Fo

McCullough Peaks A resident herd of 150 wild palominos, pintos, and roans flash brightly across 110,000 acres of pastel desert and badlands.

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ShoshoneBannock Indian Festival

Sn

43

Fort Hall

Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum

Caribou Mt. K
9803 ft

RESERVATION
Eastern Fort Washakie E Shoshone Crowheart Butte Indian Days Chief Washakie defeated his Crow adversary Big Robber in a man-to-man fight to E Lander the death here in 1866. The Shoshone victor extracted the heart from the dead Crow leader and paraded it on the point of a lance.
LANDER ROAD

Gre

FORT HALL

CARIBOUBlackfoot Res.

BRIDGEReys Gr

en

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Ocean Lake
E Riverton

SHOSHONE INDIAN DANCER ON THE WIND RIVER INDIAN RESERVATION JEFF VANUGA

TRUMPETER SWAN RICCARDO SAVI

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IDAHO

Monument to Father Pierre Jean DeSmet The Jesuit missionary celebrated Wyoming's first mass here and became a trusted mediator between the U.S. and native tribes.
E VID DI

IN EN TA L

WIND RIVER
W in d

WYOMING
INDIAN

Like gatherings of the old days, people come from all over to our powwow. Dancing is the heart of the powwow, which includes horse relays, traditional games, and parades. Our traditions bring back the old ways, the old times, and keep our religion and our language alive."
Delbert Farmer, elder, Shoshone Bannock Tribes, Fort Hall, ID

Wildlife watching here changes with the seasons. In spring, Elk wade in a sea of purple camas wildflowers. In winter, on snowshoes, you can track a coyote stalking a mouse to the edge of the water. Look up, and youre face-to-face with thirty yakking trumpeter swans floating on the river.
Kyle Babbitt, year-round resident, Island Park, ID

National Elk Refuge Visitors ride horse-drawn sleighs to mingle with wintering elk and bison. Shed antlers are collected by Boy Scouts and auctioned in Jackson Town Square the Saturday preceding Memorial Day. E

E Rexburg

SMITH

GRAND TETON

FOREST

on Tet

n Teto

NATIONAL PARK

WILDERNESS

NATIONAL
GROS VENTRE WILDERNESS

CARIBOUTARGHEE

Idaho Falls

Dubois E
Whiskey Mt. K 11095 ft

National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center

Jackson

NATIONAL

Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival

Day tours bring wintertime visitors within camera range of the herd on Whiskey Mountain.

Thermopolis E

iv
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C
Native American life, before and after their world changed.

I D A H O PalisadesFOREST
Blackfoot
Reservoir American Falls Reservoir E Pocatello
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FOREST
BRIDGERFITZPATRICK WILDERNESS

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W

Boysen Reservoir

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BRIDGER

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TETON
Pinedale
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NATIONAL

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Fort Washakie E

INE

Riverton E

Riv

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WILDERNESS

CARIBOU-TARGHEE NATIONAL FOREST

SH O SH O N E
POPO AGIE WILDERNESS

E Lander

FOREST

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RESERVATION
ET H DS P HU
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Bear

Bear

42

National Oregon-California Trail Center This historically rigorous and technically creative interpretive center lets you experience the challenges of America's great westward migration of the mid1800s. Bounce through virtual trail ruts in a covered-wagon simulator and end your day on the trail by swapping stories around an artificial campfire.

Atlantic City

Grays Lake Wildlife Refuge A large flock of greater sandhill cranes and a renascent population of trumpeter swans draw birders to this montane marshland.
CARIBOU-

NATIONAL
Path of the Pronghorn Grand Teton's resident herd of pronghorn migrates to its winter range near Pinedale through the country's first officially designated wildlife corridor.

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Montpelier
Historic Festival

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CURLEW California Trail Mormon Trail Nez Perce Trail Oregon Trail Other trails
40

TARGHEE NATIONAL FOREST

NATIONAL GRASSLAND

CACHE NATIONAL Bear

BEAR LAKE N.W.R.

Natural or scenic Museum Other point of interest Festival

Bear Lake

Museum Other point of interest

SCALE 1 : 2,000,000
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Local Living
Vibrant and Historic Communities
With one foot in the past and one stepping into the future, Greater Yellowstones friendly towns are base camps for exploring wide-open spaces and wild places. You can take quite a tour just focusing on historic hotels, from the Gallatin Gateway Inn, which once linked tourists arriving by rail with coaches bound for Yellowstone National Park, to the Irma Hotel in Cody where Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane, and Frederic Remington all stayed. This area is rich with historic downtowns that offer a glimpse into the past."
Ev Diehl, owner, Chamberlin Inn, Cody, WY
NEW GROWTH AFTER FOREST FIRE, NEAR YELLOWSTONE N.P . NEIL LAFAVE

are

Natures Forces

Shaping a Monumental Landscape

Yellowstones geyser basins, such as Old Faithful, and hot springs point to the presence of molten rock not far, in a geologists view, below the surface. Other forces of nature are powerfully in evidencemountain-forming upheavals, glaciers, and wildfires that scorch and revitalize natural systems. Snowmelt from Yellowstones high country becomes streams that wind through volcanic terrain to feed the Snake, Missouri, and Green Rivers.

Anaconda
90

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JEFFERSON

287

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Butte E
Madison
SILVER BOW
15
399

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Big E
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86

The Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture Bozemans reputation as a regional hub for arts and culture owes much to the Emerson Centers year-long schedule of events, exhibitions, and studio classes.

LIVINGSTON FARMERS MARKET JENNIFER SMITH-MAYO

LOWER FALLS OF THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER DONNIE SEXTON

Cra

287

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Gallatin Gateway Inn The tracks are gone, but the original lobby clock still keeps train time in this 1920s grand hotel built by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad.
MADISON BEAVERHEAD
278

Bozeman E
191

84

Livingston Farmers Market

E Livingston

Laurel E
421

SWEET GRASS

Columbus
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Virginia City Creamery

41

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Red Lodge
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Yesterdays Restaurant Soda Fountain

GALLATIN

Downtown Livingston Artists and fly casters have superseded gandy dancers and cow punchers in this old railhead. The Northern Pacific depot is now a gallery, and the last remnants of the cattle trade are the angling shops that sell calf tails to fly tiers.

Joliet E Pryor
E

Downtown Red Lodge Broadway's 1890s architecture survives intact largely because development died along with the coal mines in the first half of the last century. Today, the old downtown buildings thrive with restaurants and shops catering to tourists.
Big h

212

90
87

Lewis and Clark Caverns Lewis and Clark came close but missed seeing the opening to this cave 90 years before the underground wonderland of spikes and columns was first explored. Modern adventurers descend steps chiseled into the limestone by the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps. Virginia City E

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Natural Bridge Falls

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The rock arch collapsed in 1988 but the Boulder River continues to cascade over a 100-foot precipice.

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12799 ft

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Virginia City Historic District Virginia City (pop. 150), now the State of Montana's most ambitious preservation and education project, includes walking tours with well-preserved Victorian-era structures, including the Bale of Hay Saloon and the Hangman's building where vigilantes executed five alleged bandits in 1864. When a gold rush in the 1860s churned the gravel of Alder Gulch, the town's population reached 10,000.
15

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ow

Granite Peak K a R

Gardiner

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Buns 'N' Beds

CARBON
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Bearcreek

Beartooth Mountains Dated at nearly four billion years, the Beartooth Mountains are some of the planet's oldest rock. Since the original sediments of the Beartooths were deposited, uplift, igneous intrusions, streams, and glaciers have formed plateaus and peaks of Precambrian gneiss dissected by deep troughs and hanging valleys.

Colter Pass E Silver Gate E E Cooke City

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287

West Yellowstone E
Henrys Lake

Hebgen Lake Eagles Store

Cooke City/Silver Gate/Colter Pass For a penny, buy a candy at Cooke City General Store and watch your sale rung up on the original 1886 hand-cranked cash register. Cooke City and sisters Silver Gate and Colter Pass offer skiers guided access to backcountry runs.
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DRAPER MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER, CODY, WY CHRIS GIMMESON

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Historic Phillips Lodge and the Pines Comfortable cabins provide forest living CLARK without camp smoke or mosquitoes.

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HUCKLEBERRY MILKSHAKE TOUR Lewis Lake 20 The huckleberry milkshake is a summertime Heart Lake TETON staple in the Rocky Mountain West. In Idaho, FREMONT Teton Valley taste tests should include Corner Drug and 511 Main Teton Valley celebrates the open vistas Victor Emporium; in Montana, the musts are E Fountain & Pizzeria and rural simplicity that have made it Yesterday's Restaurant and Soda Fountain, Ashton home to a colony of painters, carvers, Buns 'N' Beds, Eagle's Store, and Virginia St. Anthony E glass blowers, photographers, and City Creamery. 32 k. musicians. F s

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Meeteetse Main Street The Old West, the way it was, except for the chocolate truffles confected by bronc rider Tim Kellogg at his Meeteetse Chocolatier. A more rugged view of cowboy life is portrayed nextdoor at the Charles J. Belden Museum of Western Photography.

Bozeman is full of talentwe have 100 artists working here at the Emerson Center aloneso its no surprise that culture is taking its place next to the lure of the great outdoors. During winter, people show up at films and galleries in their ski garb, looking for a great cultural experience to cap off a day on the slopes.
Yvonne Reddy, gallery attendant and docent, Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture, Bozeman, MT

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Dark Horse Books Serving as a community cultural center, this store is well-stocked with books by regional authors about landscape, wildlife, and human society. Read local.

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Mormon Row Historic District America's most pictured barn anchors Mormon Row, a virtually abandoned farming settlement, posed against the perfect backdrop of the Grand Tetons.

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Ken Sinay, owner/guide, Yellowstone Safari, Livingston, MT

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This region may be unique in all the world as a place where a person can have an extraordinary natural experience, and then digest it through the eyes of artists, historians, naturalists, and different cultures. An exceptional collection of museums enhances our personal experiences and helps unlock the issues we grapple with every day.
David Pennock, Executive Director, Museum of Idaho, Idaho Falls, ID

Jacob Lowenstern, Yellowstone Volcano Observatory scientist-in-charge, Yellowstone National Park

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Springtime flooding along streams and rivers renews some of the most productive and diverse natural systems in the westhome to river otter, native trout, songbirds, and a long list of other animals. Rivers shaped the social landscape, too. These natural passageways attracted explorers, farmers, miners, and settlers to their banks. Look at the regions major communities and youll likely find rivers flowing through.

Mountains of glass resulted from fiery magma erupting through the frigid waters of the Snake River some 10,000 years ago.

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Teton Flood Museum The high water line at the doorway hints at the destructive scale of flooding which followed the washout of a new earthen dam, just days after its completion in 1976.

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Yellowstone is an enormous volcano, which is difficult to see if you're looking for the familiar cone shape. In the past 2.5 million years, two of the largest volcanic eruptions known on Earth happened here. The most recent of these formed the Yellowstone Caldera, the depression where most of the park's 10,000-plus geothermal features are found. Earthquakes and other ground movements remind us that this volcano is still very much alive.

Hebgen Lake Earthquake The six-mile-long Quake Lake began to fill in 1959 when a landslide plugged the Madison River canyon. The slide buried 19 campers, but protected the lower Madison Valley from the tsunamis that sloshed over Hebgen Dam higher up the canyon.

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The Fires of '88 Yellowstone lovers were disheartened in 1988 when wildfire raged across more than a third of the park. Two decades later, healthy young forests of lodgepole pines rise from seed cones activated by heat and nourished by ash.
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THE YELLOWSTONE VOLCANO OBSERVATORY (YVO) An instrument-based monitoring facility for observing volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in the Yellowstone region. Details: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/

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Hell's Half Acre Trail Actually 222 square miles, this frozen ocean of basalt was formed by a succession of lava flows.

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Lander Main Street The statues along Main Street were cast locally by Eagle Bronze, the country's largest monument foundry. Lander itself is a crucible for cowboy and artistic cultures, hosting both the Pioneer Days Rodeo and the Heart of the West Invitational Art Show.

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Atlantic City Mercantile Now a steakhouse, this 1893 general store catered to miners scouring streambeds for gold around Atlantic City and sister ghost town South Pass City. You can try your own luck with a steel pan available from hardware stores in gold country.
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Fossil Butte National Monument Some of the world's best preserved fossils are found in this cold sagebrush desert. Fossilized fish, insects, plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals are exceptional for their abundance, variety, and detail of preservation. Most remarkable is the story they tell of ancient life in a subtropical landscape.

E Pinedale Gros Ventre Slide Fifty million cubic yards of mountainside plunged into the Gros Ventre River in 1925. The debris dam held for two years before breaching, which ruined ranch lands and drowned six people.

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Yellowstone River The longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states, the 670-mile Yellowstone drains the national park into the Missouri River system. Its deep, colored canyon and high, misted waterfall are hallowed views. E

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St. Anthony Sand Dunes Wind moves these mountains of granulated quartz eight feet a year, erasing the recurring ruts made by armies of off-road vehicles. Day hikes and horseback rides are no trace options for exploring the 11,000 acres of shifting sand.

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North Fork Wildland Fire (Gunbarrel Fire) A dog house was the only private dwelling lost to the 67,000-acre wildfire of 2008. Gains include mineral-rich runoff for the bugs and fishes of the Shoshone River and open habitat for grizzly bears, elk, and bighorn sheep.

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Geotraveler Tips
Beyond the National Parks
For every day that you vacation in the national parks spend a day at the nearby Shoshone or Caribou-Targhee National Forest, or visit a local community such as Cody, WY or Driggs, ID. Government, businesses, and conservationists can suggest tips on trails to hike, scenic byways to drive, and wildlife to watch.

Get Out of Your Car

Spend time away from your wheels. Whether walking to a geyser, hiking to a mountain vista, or touring a museum, the sights, sounds, and smells of Greater Yellowstone are best experienced on foot.

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The Red Desert Eight million acres of rugged beauty are defined by vast expanses of sagebrush, towering buttes, and rainbow colored hoodoos. The Red Desert contains the largest body of active sand dunes in North America and is home to the nations largest antelope herd, a desert elk herd, as well as wild horses.

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Watchable Wildlife

From grizzly bears to wolves, the Greater Yellowstone is home to the full complement of native predators. Wildlife prefer the early morning and just before sunset, and to catch them through your binoculars, a spotting scope, or a camera, you should too. Bone up with your field guide, and respect the animals from at least 100 yards especially bears. Likewise, keep your distance from other humans looking for the same animals.

businesses know that you care about the conservation and preservation of open lands and that the wildlife and endless space have drawn you here and will bring you back. A follow-up email or letter to lodging or dining facilities encourages their stewardship.

To deter an aggressive bear, carry bear spray (available in gateway communities). When camping, store all food in bear-resistant containers or hard-sided vehicles.

yourself with maps and a compass, as well as a first aid kit, flashlight, and again, bear spray.

Climate and Preparedness

Land of the Grizzly Bear

Business and Stewardship

By patronizing distinctive businesses in the gateway communities on the outer edge of the Greater Yellowstone, you are helping towns that are essential for a quality visit. These communities have unique character. Let local

The famous grizzly bear inhabits much of the Greater Yellowstone. Once on the verge of extinction the grizzly is now rebounding thanks to aggressive conservation measures. Basic precautions can help to keep you safe when hiking in grizzly country: Hike in groups of two or more people. Avoid hiking at night. Make your presence known to bears by clapping, calling out, or singing. This is especially important around streams and on windy days.

The Greater Yellowstone Region sits in a high elevation mountainous landscape where weather conditions can change abruptly. While the coldest months are typically December through February, snow can fall at any time of the year. Check the local weather report daily, inquire about road closuresespecially November to Mayand bring appropriate clothing for sudden weather changes. Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. Carry plenty of water and food, arm

Thinking of Owning a Home in Greater Yellowstone?

great in June, but the sun can scorch at 105 in July and reach down to -30 with fifty mile an hour winds in February. Visit during Greater Yellowstones highs and lows before settling in for the long haul.

The Yellowstone Book Pack

If youre considering relocating to Greater Yellowstone, consider living in town rather than in a rural subdivision or ranchette. These newer places fragment working ranches and wildlife migrations and degrade air and water quality. By choosing a home in town you will help to conserve the qualities that make this region so special (and youre less likely to find a grizzly bear wandering through your backyard). Further, take the Greater Yellowstone weather into account: The climate might feel

Yellowstone National Park in the Winter

Winter is an amazing time to visit the Park. Yellowstones snow-covered landscape lends itself admirably to cross country skiing, snowshoeing, photography, and winter wildlife viewing. Snowcoaches provide an environmentally friendly way of accessing the park in winter. Check the Yellowstone National Park web site at www.nps.gov/ yell or gateway community chambers of commerce for a list of snowcoach tour operators.

A well-rounded geotraveler is also a well-read geotraveler. These books reveal the regions personality, illuminate its history, and portray its natural life: Where Rivers Change Direction (Mark Spragg), Hawks Rest (Gary Ferguson), A Naturalist's Guide to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks (Frank C. Craighead, Jr.), Silence and Solitude: Yellowstone's Winter Wilderness (Tom Murphy), Jackson Hole Hikes (Rebecca Woods), Montana: The Last Best Place (Kittredge & Smith), Letters From Yellowstone (Diane Smith), The Grand Tetons (Margaret Sanborn), Travels in the Greater Yellowstone (Jack Turner), and John Colter: His Years in the Rockies (Burton Harris). To make nights in the tent a bit spookier, read the essential Yellowstone mystery novel, Free Fire (C. J. Box).

MAP DATA DERIVED FROM: NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY; OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY LANDSCAN 2006/UT-BATTELLE; SRTM DATA, INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR TROPICAL AGRICULTURE (CIAT); UMD GLOBAL LAND COVER CLASSIFICATION, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND; UNEP-WORLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE AND IUCN; U.S. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS.