16 stunning photos that reveal the incredible beauty and power of the world’s oldest national park

The USA’s Yellowstone National Park is the oldest national park in the world and is home to a vast array of wildlife

Bull elk — Sunrise, Yellowstone National Park

Adam Jones/Getty Images

Sophie Ellis

Published: March 5, 2026 at 3:38 pm

Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming, USA, is one of the most well-known national parks in the world. It also the oldest one on Earth, after being signed into law in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant.

However, it’s not actually the largest national park in the world – that can be found on another continent.

The park spans 2,219,791 acres (8,983.18 km²) and contains hundreds of species of fauna and flora. While it’s famed for its wolf population, plenty of other animals roam the park – from bobcats and red foxes to elk and black bears.

What wildlife can I see in Yellowstone National Park, USA?

Stunning photos of Yellowstone National Park

American bison at Yellowstone National Park — According to the National Park Service website, Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times - Henrik Karlsson/Getty Images

Obsidian Sow And Triplets May — Yellowstone is home to both grizzly bears (pictured here) and black bears - Mark Perry/500px/Getty Images

Bisons crossing a road at Yellowstone National Park — Watch out for wildlife crossing the road as you travel around - Santiago Urquijo/Getty Images

Morning Glory Pool Upper Geyser Basin - Yellowstone — Yellowstone is full of geothermal activity, due to the supervolcano underneath it. Morning Glory Pool is a much-visited hot spring in the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin - Photography by Deb Snelson/Getty Images

It’s almost twice the size of Washington state and stretches 18 miles down into the Earth’s crust – and it’s underwater too

Bull moose in the snow — Moose are well-adapted to the park's snowy winter conditions - jared lloyd/Getty Images

Ram in Yellowstone National Park — Bighorn sheep live in the northern area of the park, as they migrate between Montana and Wyoming - Scott Suriano/Getty Images

Wolves in Yellowstone — A wolf reintroduction programme that took place in the 1990s has transformed the national park's ecosystem - Andree Thorpe/500px/Getty Images

Remote cameras in Yellowstone capture cougars and wolves on the hunt. The footage reveals something important

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel — The golden-mantled ground squirrel is native to western North America - Adria Photography/Getty Images

A red fox leaping into the air while mousing in Yellowstone — Red foxes are among the smaller mammals you'll find in Yellowstone and have been documented there since the 1880s - jared lloyd/Getty Images

Waterfall at Yellowstone National Park — The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is one of the canyons that make up the Yellowstone Falls. It is 20 miles (32 kilometres) long - florent_dartora/500px/Getty Images

The lowest recorded temperature in Yellowstone National Park is -66°F (-54°C) - jared lloyd/Getty Images

An adult female black bear in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — The black bear is the most common bear species in North America - Cavan Images/Getty Images

Coyote in Yellowstone National Park — Coyotes can be seen in Yellowstone's meadows and valleys - DavideIdrato/Getty Images

Bobcat in falling snow — Although bobcats roam Yellowstone, they are crepuscular (mainly active during twilight) so are not often seen by humans - jared lloyd/Getty Images

Bull elk — Elk are one of the most abundant large mammals in Yellowstone, with an estimated population of 10,000–20,000 - Adam Jones/Getty Images

Watch amazing footage of fearless elk chasing grey wolf in Yellowstone National Park

Bald eagle Yellowstone — Bald eagles can be found near Yellowstone's rivers and streams - James Hager/Getty Images

Power and majesty of bald eagles revealed in 16 staggering photos

Sophie is the content creator for discoverwildlife.com and its sister title countryfile.com. She manages the Q+A section of BBC Wildlife and covers the latest natural history TV and film releases.

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