Unit 10: Scenic America

The Northwest

Old Faith

To the far north, near the Canadian border is Yellowstone National Park, named after for the river flowing through the area. Yellowstone was established in 1872, and is the oldest of the national parks and also one of the largest, being almost 8 985 sq km in area. It is known for its geysers and hot springs, the most famous of the geysers being Old Faithful, which every hour or so sends an enormous plume of water and steam shooting high into the sky for 4 minutes. In addition to the several geysers, there are the hot springs and the pools of bubbling warm mud, all of which make this a very strange and wondrous place to visit.

Yellowstone National Park also contains beautiful vistas of waterfalls, rugged peaks, and lush valleys. The woodlands are home to many types of wildlife, especially rare species of birds. Many visitors take advantage of organized tours on horseback through the wilderness. Several days in the park is hardly enough time to see and do all the interesting things there. Incidentally, approach the park from the south, one will pass by Grand Teton National Park, which has immense scenic peaks and glacier scoured valleys. This park is not for the casual visitor but mountain climbers find it exhilarating.

Grand Teton National Park	Glacier

Not too far away is Dinosaur National Monument, the site of many fossils of prehistoric animal life. And nearby also is Bryce Canyon National Park, a small park with enormous sandstone spires and pinnacles, whose slopes are colored in red, white, pink and orange layers.

Dinosaur National Monument	Bryce Canyon
Spires

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