See 150 years of Yellowstone in these iconic Nat Geo images
The first national park in the United States marks a milestone. Here is Yellowstone through the eyes of our photographers.
Inspired by early reporting of marvels such as the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone River, seen here, the U.S. Congress established Yellowstone as America’s first national park in 1872.
Photograph by Michael Nichols
ByNational Geographic Staff
Published February 25, 2022
• 15 min read
It’s been called America’s “Wonderland” for good reason. Generations of travelers have embraced Yellowstone—the first national park in the United States—and explored its marvels, spread across some 3,472 square miles, mostly in Wyoming, but with portions in Montana and Idaho.
This unmatched wilderness, now marking 150 years as a national park, is vast and varied, comprising a rugged panorama of forests, lakes, mountains, valleys, and canyons. Some 90 percent of the park and its surrounding region remains untamed, constituting one of the last large intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone.
Yellowstone was established as a national park in 1872 “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” Its founding marked the birth of the U.S. National Park System and represents the beating heart of a complex of interconnected public wild lands known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, nearly 10 times larger than the park.
The region’s geological history reaches back at least 66 million years, when volcanism produced spectacular features. The park includes three calderas, formed from volcanic eruptions 2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago, respectively. With more than 10,000 spouting, steamy, kaleidoscopic, sometimes smelly geothermal features, Yellowstone holds more geysers than the rest of the world combined.
Indigenous Americans, arriving after the melt-back of the Pleistocene ice sheets, have lived in the region for more than 11,000 years. The ancestors of the Blackfeet, Cayuse, Coeur d’Alene, Shoshone, and Nez Perce people, among others, used the resources of this land for food, shelter, medicine and religious purposes for millennia.
Some societies left behind arrowheads, petroglyphs, pictographs, and dwellings. Today, Indigenous communities in the area take an active role in shaping the future within and beyond the park, from documenting their own history to bison management and ensuring protection of cultural sites.
National Geographic’s vast photographic archive includes William Henry Jackson’s images from the pivotal 1871 geological survey of Yellowstone, photographed a year before the founding of the park. The magazine’s first feature article on Yellowstone was published more than a century ago, in May 1908. Since then, our coverage has included features on the region, as well as travel articles, books, and atlas entries.
“What I see in the early historic photos is grandeur, vastness, the bounty of wildlife, the sheer power of Earth. Humans are almost always tiny specks in these images,” says Julia Andrews, photo editor of the National Geographic Image Collection. “Fast forward to contemporary coverage of Yellowstone, and everything is reversed. Now photographers show just how vulnerable this ecosystem is to the impact of humans.”
Here are a few of our favorite images of Yellowstone from National Geographic’s photographic archive. While these images present the perspectives of past photographers, they also capture the timeless inspiration, joy, and reward of exploring this awe-inspiring region.
Learn more about the geology, biology, and history of the park in National Geographic’s Yellowstone: The Science and Splendor of the Park by Todd Wilkinson; order a copy here.
Created in partnership with local land management agencies, National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated maps highlight the best places for hiking, camping, boating, paddling, and wildlife viewing in North America’s scenic, rugged frontiers and urban fringes. Click here to order a map of Yellowstone National Park.
Who buys lion bones? Inside South Africa’s skeleton trade
The country has sent thousands of lion skeletons to Asia—legally. Experts say this has encouraged an illegal trade, potentially endangering South Africa’s remaining wild lions.
What is aquaculture? It may be the solution to overfishing.
From seaweed to shellfish, this fast-growing industry is ensuring that humans have enough protein for our diets. Here's what to know about aquaculture.
The secret superpowers of elephants, in stop motion
Our paper animation explores how these remarkable pachyderms have adapted to survive, from their powerful cancer-fighting genes to a Spidey sense of hearing.
These Native Americans were taken from their families as children
For centuries, Indigenous children were removed from their families and placed in missions and boarding schools. For former students like those in these portraits, the reckoning has just begun.
