Yellowstone National Park is the crown jewel of the American park system. It is home to steaming hydrothermal features, crystalline lakes, thundering waterfalls, panoramic vistas and a remarkable diversity of animals and birds. What's more, Yellowstone boasts a history of colorful characters. Native Americans, mountain men, fortune seekers and Western Artists have all impacted present-day Yellowstone in one way or another. Visit Old Faithful, the world's best-known geyser. Tour the travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs. Hear mud pots plop at Artists Paintpots. Listen to fumaroles hiss at ... Read MoreRoaring Mountain. Learn about thermophiles at Norris Geyser Basin. Find out what substance makes Mud Volcano so distinctive. Get a glimpse of the earth's interior at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Watch wildlife in Lamar and Hayden valleys. Soak in the Boiling River. Float the chute on Firehole River. Ride horseback in Gardners Hole. Go for a boat ride on Yellowstone Lake. Take a self-guided ramble on wooden boardwalk. Hike a rarely traveled backcountry trail. Uncover history at Fort Yellowstone. View paintings by Thomas Moran at the Albright Visitor Center. Partake in a ranger-led program. Earn a junior ranger badge. And if you are visiting in winter, snowshoe and x-country ski in a group or individually. Few places in the world are as wondrous as Yellowstone.