Third in a series

Yellowstone National Park is American’s first national park, established in 1872. Given its wild, beautiful terrain, assortment of wildlife and collection of geothermic geysers, it’s no wonder it was country’s first.

Located in the wild lands of northwest Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, the park is home to herds of bison and elk as well as wolves, grizzly bears and other animals, many that are endangered or threatened. It is also home to most of the world’s geysers, according to the National Park Service.

“The park is the core of one of the last, nearly intact, natural ecosystems in the Earth’s temperate zone,” states the park’s official website.

One of the park’s major attractions is “Old Faithful,” which erupts every 45 to 125 minutes with a spout of water that reaches 143 feet lasting between 1.5 and 5 minutes, according to the park service.

Yellowstone is open year-round, however some roads are only open seasonally. More than 2 million people visit the park each year.

Read: The Nation’s Public Space: Acadia National Park, The Nation’s Public Space: Grand Canyon National Park

Coming next week: Everglades National Park