Here, thanks to the Yellowstone staff, is a compilation of fun facts and trivia surrounding the park, from the record low temperature of -66 degrees Fahrenheit (-54oC) to more than 15 miles (24 km) of boardwalks!
Watching Castle Geyser erupt at Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park / Rebecca Latson
* World's first national park
* A designated World Heritage Site and designated Biosphere Reserve
* 3,472 square miles or 8,987 square km
* 2,221,766 acres or 898,317 hectares
* 63 air miles north to south (102 km)
* 54 air miles east to west (87 km)
* 96 % of the park is in Wyoming
* 3 % of the park is in Montana
* 1 % of the park is in Idaho
* Highest Point: 11,358 ft / 3,462 m (Eagle Peak)
* Lowest Point: 5,282 ft / 1,610 m (Reese Creek)
* Larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined
* Approximately 5% of the park is covered by water; 15% is grassland; and 80% is forest
* Precipitation ranges from 10 inches (26 cm) at the north boundary to 80 inches (205 cm) in the southwest corner
* Average temperatures:
January: 9° F/-13 C
July: 80° F/27 C
Records:
High: 99°F/37 C, 2002 (Mammoth)
Low Temp: -66° F/-54 C (West Entrance, Riverside Station 1933)
* 26 associated American Indian tribes
* Approximately 2,000 archeological sites
* More than 300 ethnographic resources (animals, plants, sites)
* 25 sites, landmarks, and districts on the National Register of Historic Places
* 1 National Historic Trail
* 840 historic buildings
* More than 379,000 cultural objects and natural science specimens
* More than 20,000 of books (many rare), manuscripts, periodicals
* About 90,000 photographic prints and negatives
* 5 park entrances
* 466 mi / 750 km of roads (310 mi/499 km paved miles)
* More than 15 Miles / 24 km of boardwalks
* Approximately 1,000 mi / 1,600 km of backcountry trails
* 92 trailheads
* 301 backcountry campsites
* More than 4.5 million recreation visits in 2023, up 1.2 million from 2022
