YELLOWSTONE PARK FACTS

Lucky visitors to Yellowstone may spot a Peregrine Falcon hunting for a meal. These amazing birds were an endangered species until 1999. The park is home to 148 known nesting species of birds.

Did you know that the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park area is roughly half the size of New Zealand?

Yellowstone National Park covers more than 2.2 million acres at 63 miles from North to South and 54 miles East to West.

Did you know that up to 5% of Yellowstone Park is covered by water? 80% of the park is mountain forest and approximately 15% grasslands.

Did you know that there are over 290 waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park? The most famous is probably Lower Falls, a favorite subject of Ansel Adams' works.

Did you know that Yellowstone Park experiences about 2,000 earthquakes a year? No wonder with more than 10,000 thermal features and 300 active geysers!

Yellowstone's Upper Falls drops 109 feet and is easily accessible via a 1/8 mile hike from the road. Many visitors miss this beautiful display because it is so close to its more famous sister, Lower Falls.

Did you know that the road from Yellowstone's Gardiner Entrance (north) to the Northeast Entrance is the only road open to wheeled vehicles year-round?

Yellowstone Park is home to two endangered species; the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) and the Whooping Crane (Grus americana).

Yellowstone National Park's highest point is 11,358 feet / 3,462 meters - at Eagle Peak. Its lowest is Reese Creek at 5,282 feet / 1,610 meters.

Did you know that the Gardiner, MT entrance to Yellowstone Park is the only entrance open year-round? North entrance visitors avoid the crowds and are closer to many popular park attractions.

Wonder what it takes to protect and preseve a park the size of Yellowstone? In 2006, the Federal Government budget for maintaining the park was over $30 million.

MORE FACTS ABOUT MONTANA & FLYING PIG

Yellowstone's North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana is at 45 00 12.19 Latitude and -110 00 04.62 Longitude. Set your GPS!

Gardiner, Montana was founded in 1880 as a tough frontier town created when the original entrance to Yellowstone National Park was designated in 1872.