To protect the Rockies from commercial and economic exploitation, they have been divided into many national parks. This ensures that these mountains are protected with many controls in place regarding what may and may not be done in these areas.
These parks are known for their magnificent beauty and receive millions of visitors every year. Activities carried out here are done in harmony with nature and resorts and hotels use clean energy sources and encourage guests to be environment friendly.
One of the best known of these parks is the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA. At an elevation of 2,438 m, Yellowstone was the first national park to be established in the USA in 1872. Yellowstone’s natural forest cover extends nearly 9,000 sq km and comprises lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. It is home to 67 species of mammals including grizzly bears, wolves, bison and wapitis, as well as 300 species of birds and 6 species of reptiles.
It is centred on the Yellowstone caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. Yellowstone also has the world’s largest concentration of geysers. More than 300 geysers are found here, including ‘Old Faithful’ one of the most well-known geysers which has erupted every 44 minutes to 2 hours since 2000!
Picture Credit : Google
