Yellowstone National Park Facts and Figures

Index

Budget

Annual Budget - Fiscal Year

Yellowstone National Park Budget Information
Year	Budget	Year	Budget	Year	Budget
2021		2012	$ 35,301,000	2003	$ 27,669,000
2020		2011	$ 36,516,000	2002	$ 27,043,000
2019		2010	$ 36,958,000	2001	$ 25,122,000
2018	$ 35,535,400	2009	$ 35,036,000	2000	$ 24,508,000
2017	$ 34,965,650	2008	$ 33,489,000	1999	$ 23,545,000
2016	$ 34,695,700	2007	$ 31,431,000	1998	$ 22,421,000
2015	$ 34,144,300	2006	$ 30,605,000	1997	$ 20,102,000
2014	$ 33,807,500	2005	$ 29,845,000	1996	$ 19,451,000
2013	$ 32,549,000	2004	$ 28,116,000	1995	$ 19,191,000

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Cultural Resources

A designated World Biosphere Reserve - 26 Oct 1976 - First area in the U.S. to be designated

A designated World Heritage Site - 08 Sep 1978 - First natural area in the U.S. to be designated

Archaeologic sites - 1,000+ (known)

Historic structures - 1,106

Historic Districts - 13

National Historic Landmarks - 6 (Obsidian Cliff and 5 buildings)

Historic photographs - 90,000

Museum objects - over 200,000

Linear feet of archives - 2,500

Research Library with over - 20,000 volumes

27 Affiliated American Indian tribes

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Elevation

Highest point: 11,358 feet / 3462 meters - Eagle Peak - located about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of the southeast arm of Yellowstone Lake.
DMS: 44° 19′ 15″ N, 110° 1′ 40″ W / Decimal: : 44.320833, -110.027778 / UTM: 12T 577526 4907968

Lowest point: 5,282 feet / 1610 meters - Reese Creek - north west area of Yellowstone.
DMS: 45° 01' 53.9" N, 110° 47' 42.5" W / Decimal: 45.031633, -110.795124 / UTM: 12T 516138.48 4986484.85

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Employee Information

Employees / Staffing - See Employee Reunion Page

During the Summer

National Park Service - 780

Concessions - 3,200

During Other Seasons

National Park Service - 380

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Entrance Information

Entrance Information - Open / Closure Information - See the Entrance Page for more detailed information

Busiest Entrance - West

Least Busiest Entrance - Northeast

West Entrance usually opens in mid-April

East and South Entrances open approximately a month or so later (depends on road plowing)

East, South and West Entrances normally close the first Monday in November at 8:00 am

East, South and West Entrances open for winter activities usually in mid-December

Winter access via above gates by - snowshoes, skis, snowmobile or snowcoach (no wheeled vehicles)

East, South and West Entrances close in mid-March for winter activities

North Entrance - only entrance open year round to wheeled vehicles (winter, spring, summer & fall)

Open / Closure dates are established by the Park Service and are subject to change due to weather or other conditions

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Facilities

Facilities - See Visitors Guide and Camping Page and Lodging Page

Nine (9) visitor centers / museums / information stations - For Details See: Visitor Centers Page

Nine (9) hotels / lodges (2,184 hotel rooms / cabins) - For Details See: Lodging Page

Seven (7) National Park Service operated campgrounds (458 sites) - For Details See: Camping Page

Five (5) concession operated campgrounds (1,744 sites) - For Details See: Camping Page

Over 2,000 buildings (National Park Service and concession)

Picnic Areas - 52

Ranger Stations - Park Headquarters is located at Mammoth, Wyoming - and is open all year

Bechler - Southwest corner of park - backcountry

Bridge Bay

Canyon

East Entrance

Grant Village

Lake

Lamar

Lewis Lake

Madison

Mammoth - open year round

Norris

North Entrance

Northeast Entrance

Old Faithful

South Entrance

Thorofare - Southeast corner of park - backcountry

Tower - by Roosevelt Lodge (open during winter activities)

West Entrance

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Flora

Conifers - eight (8) species (approximately 80% of forest is comprised of lodgepole pine)

Native vascular plants - approximately 1,700 species

Exotic (non-native) plants - 170 species

Lichens - 186 species

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Geology

Geology - See Geyser Page and Waterfalls Page

An Active Volcano

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Earthquakes: approximately 2,000 a year

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Thermal features: 10,000 (approximately)

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Active geysers: 300 (approximately)

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Approximately 290 waterfalls, 15 feet or higher, flowing year-round

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Tallest waterfall: 308 feet / 94 meters - Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River - Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

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One of the world's largest calderas (volcanic explosion crater), measures 45 mi x 30 mi / 72 km x 48 km

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History

World's First National Park - See History Page

Forty-Second Congress of the United States of America;

At the Second Session,

Begun and held at the City of Washington, on Monday, the Fourth day of December, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.

Established 01 March 1872, by an act of the U.S. Congress and signed by President Ulysses S. Grant.

President Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th president of the United States and Grant Village was named in his honor.

The actual Congressional Act Creating Yellowstone National Park

Signed by:

James Gillespie Blaine - Speaker of the House of Representatives

Schuyler Colfax - Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate

George Congdon Gorham - Secretary of the Senate

Ulysses S. Grant (Hiram Ulysses Grant) - President of the United States

Designated an International Biosphere Reserve on: October 26th, 1976 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Designated a World Heritage Site on: Septenber 8th, 1978 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

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Yellowstone Lake & River & Creek Information

Yellowstone Lake - For Location See Map Page

Square miles surface area - 136 / 35,400 hectares

Miles of shoreline - 110 / 177 km

Miles north to south - 20 / 32 km

Miles east to west - 14 / 23 km

Average depth - 140 feet / 43 m

Maximum depth - 400 feet / 122 m

124 Tributaries

Other Major Lakes - For Locations See Map Page

Heart Lake

Lewis Lake

Shoshone Lake

Rivers and Creeks

DeLacy Creek

Firehole River

Gardner River

Gibbon River

Lamar River

Lewis River

Madison River

Soda Butte Creek

Slough Creek

Yellowstone River

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Land Mass Make-up

80% is forested

15% is meadow and grassland

5% is covered by water (approximately)

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Location

45th Parallel North of Mammoth - by John W. Uhler

Northwest corner of Wyoming

Southwest border of Montana

Eastcentral border of Idaho

96% in Wyoming

3% in Montana

1% in Idaho

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Meta Data

Yellowstone Metadata - Natural Resource Inventory & Monitoring Program: Official Inventory or Monitoring Records

Yellowstone Inventory

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Roads and Trails

Roads and Trails - See Roads Page and Hiking Page

Five (5) Park Entrances - For Locations See Map Page

North Entrance - Gardiner, Montana - ONLY Entrance OPEN Year Round for Visitation

Northeast Entrance - Silver Gate, Montana

East Entrance - Cody, Wyoming

South Entrance - Moran, Wyoming

West Entrance - West Yellowstone, Montana

The road from the North Entrance to the Northeast Entrance is the ONLY Road Open All Year to wheeled vehicles

Miles of paved roads - 370 / 595 km

North or Upper Loop - 70 miles / 113 km

South or Lower Loop - 96 miles / 155 km

Grand Loop (North and South Loops) - 142 miles / 229 km

Approximately miles of trails - 1,200 / 1,931 km

Trailheads - 97

Backcountry campsites - 300 (approximately)

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Size

Size - See Map Page

Square miles - 3,472 / 8,987 square km

Acres - 2,219,789 / 898,317 hectares

Miles north to south - 63 / 102 km

Miles east to west - 54 / 87 km

Larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined

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Superintendents of Yellowstone National Park

Superintendents of Yellowstone National Park
Name	Began	Ended	Name	Began	Ended
Nathaniel Pitt Langford¹	May 10, 1872	Apr 18, 1877	Colonel Lloyd M. Brett²	September 30, 1910	October 15, 1916
Philetus Walter Norris¹	April 18, 1877	March 31, 1882	Chester Allinson Lindsley²	October 16, 1916	June 28, 1919
Patrick Henry Conger¹	April 1, 1882	September 9, 1884	Horace Marden Albright¹	June 28, 1919	January 11 1929
Robert Emmett Carpenter¹	September 10, 1884	June 30, 1885	Joseph Joffe²	January 12, 1929	February 1, 1929
David Walker Wear¹	July 1, 1885	August 20, 1886	Roger Wolcott Toll¹	February 1, 1929	February 25, 1936
Captian Moses Harris²	August 20, 1886	May 31, 1889	John W. Emmert²	February 26, 1936	May 25, 1936
Captain Frazier A. Boutelle²	June 1, 1889	February 15, 1891	Edmund B. Rogers¹	May 25, 1936	October 31, 1956
Captain George S. Anderson²	February 15, 1891	June 23, 1897	Lemuel A. Garrison¹	November 1, 1956	February 16, 1964
Colonel Samuel B. M. Young²	June 23, 1897	November 15, 1897	John S. McLaughlin¹	March 6, 1964	October 6, 1967
Captain James B. Erwin²	November 15, 1897	March 15, 1899	Jack K. Anderson¹	October 8, 1967	July 22, 1976
Captain Wilber E. Wilder²	March 15, 1899	June 23, 1899	John Allen Townsley¹	August 4, 1976	1982
Captain Oscar J. Brown²	June 23, 1899	July 24, 1900	Robert Barbee¹	January 9, 1983	September 1994
Captain George W. Goode²	July 24, 1900	May 8, 1901	Michael Finley¹	October 30, 1994	February 2001
Captain John Pitcher²	May 8, 1901	June 1, 1907	Frank Walker²	February 2001	February 9, 2002
General Samuel B. M. Young¹	June 1, 1907	November 28, 1908	Suzanne Lewis¹	February 10, 2002	Oct 22, 2011
Major Harry C. Benson²	November 28, 1908	September 30, 1910	Dan Wenk¹	February 2011	September 2018
Cam Sholly	October 2018	Present

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UTMs

Latitude / Longitude / UTM (NOTE: ALL UTMS ARE "Nad83")
Center of the Park 44 36 53.25 (Lat) -110 30 03.93 (Long) UTM Zone 12: 4940281 N, 539584 E	North Entrance 45 01 46.39 (Lat) -110 42 31.32 (Long) UTM Zone 12: 4986275 N, 522949 E
Old Faithful 44 27 37.31 (Lat) -110 49 41.59 (Long) UTM Zone 12: 4923021 N, 513665 E	Northeast Entrance 45 00 12.09 (Lat) -110 00 04.62 (Long) UTM Zone 12: 4983809 N, 578510 E
Mammoth 44 58 34.79 (Lat) -110 42 03.37 (Long) UTM Zone 12: 4980364 N, 523580 E	South Entrance 44 07 56.97 (Lat) -110 39 52.83 (Long) UTM Zone 12: 4886643 N, 526824 E
East Entrance 44 29 18.42 (Lat) -110 00 13.80 (Long) UTM Zone 12: 4926609 N, 579209 E	West Entrance 44 39 30.27 (Lat) -111 05 49.87 (Long) UTM Zone 12: 4945010 N, 492295 E

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Visitation Information

Visitation Information - See Visitor Statistics

Months with most visitors

Jul - 962,405 (July 2017)

Aug - 916,168 (August 2017)

Jun - 803,653 (June 2017)

Sep - 640,068 (September 2017)

Months with least visitors

Nov - 10,469 (Nov 2017)

Dec - 21,249 (Dec 2017)

Mar - 23,897 (Mar 2017)

Jan - 29,518 (Jan 2017)

Most visitors: 2016 – 4,257,178

Winter Visitation: 115,299 (November 2014 - March 2015)

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Waterfalls

Waterfalls - there are over 290 - See the Waterfalls Page

Cave Falls

Dunnada Falls

Fairy Falls

Firehole Falls

Gibbon Falls

Keplers Cascade

LeHardys Rapids

Lower Falls

Moose Falls

Mystic Falls

Rustic Falls

Tower Fall

Undine Falls

Union Falls

Upper Falls

Wraith Falls

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Weather

Weather - See Weather Page for current conditions and more weather history data

Precipitation ranges from 10 inches (26 cm) at North boundary to 80 inches (205 cm) in the Southwest corner

Temperatures range from 10° F (-12° C) mean in January to 55° F (13° C) mean in July at Yellowstone Lake in the center of the park

Record High Temp: 98° F (37° C) - Lamar 1936

Record Low Temp: -66° F (-54° C) - Madison 1933

Yellowstone's Average Temperatures and Precipitation
Weather Data - 48 Year Average	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Annual
Average Maximum Temperature (F)	28.6	34.0	39.6	49.4	60.4	70.0	79.6	78.3	67.8	55.7	38.7	30.5	52.8
Average Minimum Temperature (F)	9.6	13.0	17.2	26.0	34.3	41.2	46.7	45.3	37.0	29.4	19.2	11.8	27.6
Average Precipitation (Inches)	1.1	0.75	1.1	1.2	2.0	2.0	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.0	1.0	1.0	15.4
Average Total Snow Fall (Inches)	14.5	10.4	13.1	5.9	1.5	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.5	3.7	9.0	13.5	72.1

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Wildlife

Wildlife - See Wildlife Page

Largest concentration of free-roaming wildlife in the lower 48 states and the global temperate zone

Amphibian Species - 4

Bird Species - 311 (148 nesting species)

"Endangered or threatened" protected species - 5

Fish Species - 13 (5 non-native)

Mammal Species - approximately 50

Bear Species - 2

- Black Bear

- Grizzly Bear

Canids (Dogs) Species - 4

- Coyote

- Swift Fox

- Red Fox

- Wolf - See the Wolf Page

Ungulate Species (native hoofed mammals) - 7

Reptile Species - 6

The list below names federally listed endangered or threatened species known to reside or occur in Yellowstone National Park.

E n d a n g e r e d

Gray wolf (Canis lupus)

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Whooping crane (Grus americana)

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Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)

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Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) — the eagle was down listed from endangered to threatened in four of five regions, including the one containing Yellowstone, in July 1995.

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Lynx (Felis lynx canadensis) — listed in March 2000.

Note: The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) — formerly endangered, was delisted in August 1999.

Other Species of Concern

Category 1 species are candidates for listing on the federal list of threatened or endangered species.

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Mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) — Migrant

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Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) — in 1994, listing was determined to be warranted but pre-cluded at that time.

In August 1995, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued new policy indicating Category 2 species are no longer considered candidates for listing. The list below of formerly classified Category 2 species indicates species about which we lack good information. These species are not all confirmed to be in Yellowstone, but may occur or reside here.

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Wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus)

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Spotted bat (Euderma maculatum)

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Preble's shrew (Sorexpreblei) — only one recorded specimen from Yellowstone

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Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) — Migrant

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Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) — Migrant

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Ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis ) — Migrant

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Trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator)

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Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)

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Black tern (Chlidonias niger) — Occasional

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Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) — Migrant

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Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

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Western boreal toad (Bufo boreas boreas)

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Spotted frog (Rana pretioas)

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Ross' bentgrass ( Agrostis rossiae) — Endemic to Yellowstone

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Yellowstone sand verbena ( Abronia ammophila)

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