Yellowstone National Park

The first National Park in the U.S., and the first national park in the world. What a title! This place has it all, and even having visited two times, I’m still so amazed it even exists and can’t wait to go back! Despite the LOADS of visitors, this is one of the most wild places I’ve been in the contiguous U.S. It’s packed with megafauna such as black and brown bears, moose, elk, pronghorn, bison, and wolves. Also bighorn sheep, mountain goats, cougars, wolverine, and mule deer. There are also various species of snakes, turtles, frogs, and salamanders.

The geography is literally one of the most explosive on the plant. Yellowstone sits on top of a supervolcano, which according to a 2014 study of scientists, would cover Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Colorado in up to three feet of volcanic ash in the event of an eruption. While that is unlikely, a drive through here will show you all of the thermal features such as geysers, hot springs, and steam vents. On top of this, Yellowstone sits on a volcanic plateau at about 8,000 feet above sea level on average. And it is still surrounded by massive mountains!

Winters in Yellowstone are harsh. Most of the park shuts down, and is accessible on cross country skis, snowmobiles, or snow cats while blanketed by several feet of snow. The snow melt in the spring leaves behind vivid colors and increased wildlife activity, with bears emerging from their dens with new litters of cubs. As spring transitions to summer, the park is fully opened and mobbed with visitors from all over the world. The summer can be super hot during the day, but gets pretty cold at night. So bring a lot of layers! As summer turns to fall, all kinds of colors erupt, while the bears fatten up for the winter, moose start to shed their horns, and elk start to move to lower elevations to forage. This is a great time to see wildlife not only because they are very active, but the forests start to thin out and visibility gets better.

Spending an entire year in this park is one of my few bucket list items, just to get to experience all seasons in this park.