Fodors Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks

Hot spots: Thinner-than-normal crust depth anda huge magma chamber beneath the park explain Yellowstones abundant geysers,steaming pools, hissing fumaroles, and bubbling mudpots.

Bison: Theyre just one of many species thatroam freely here. Seemingly docile, the bison make your heart race if you catch themstampeding across Lamar Valley.

Hiking: Yellowstone has more than 1,000 mi oftrails, along which you can summit a 10,000-foot peak, follow a trout-filled creek,or descend into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Yellowstone Lake: Here you can fish, boat,kayak, stargaze, and bird-watch on black obsidian beachesjust dont stray too farinto the frigid water.

Canyon: The Yellowsone River runs through thepark, creating a deep yellow-colored canyon with two impressive waterfalls.

At more than 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is considered oneof Americas most scenic and diverse national parks. The park has five entrances, eachwith its own attractions: the South has the Lewis River canyon; the East, Sylvan Pass;the West, the Madison River valley; the North, the beautiful Paradise Valley; and theNortheast, the spectacular Beartooth Pass.

Grant Village/West Thumb. Named for PresidentUlysses S. Grant, Grant Village is on the western edge of Yellowstone Lake.

Old Faithful area. Famous for its regularity andawesome power, Old Faithful erupts every 94 minutes or so. The most important geysersite in the world is a full-service area with inns, restaurants, campsites, cabins, avisitor center, and general stores.

Madison. Here the Madison River is formed by thejoining of the Gibbon and Firehole rivers. Fly fishermen will find healthy stocks ofbrown and rainbow trout and mountain whitefish.

Norris. The Norris area is the hottest and mostchangeable part of Yellowstone National Park. There are campsites here and a smallinformation center.

Mammoth Hot Springs. This full-service fortlikearea has an inn, restaurants, campsites, a visitor center, and general stores.

Tower-Roosevelt. This least-visited area of thepark is the place to go for solitude, horseback riding, and animal sightings. There area lodge, restaurant, and campsites here.

Canyon area. The Yellowstone River runs throughhere, and the yellow walls of the canyon lend the park its name. Two massive waterfallshighlight downtown Yellowstone, where cars, services and natural beauty allconverge.

Lake area. The largest body of water within thepark, Yellowstone Lake is believed to have once been 200 feet higher than it presentlyis. This is a full-service area with a hotel, lodge, restaurants, campsites, cabins, andgeneral stores.