How big is Yellowstone National Park?

Yellowstone National Park, the crown jewel of America’s national park system, is not just a vast wilderness—it’s an entire world unto itself. Spanning approximately 3,472 square miles (8,991 square kilometers), Yellowstone covers more land than the combined area of the states of Rhode Island and Delaware, making it one of the largest national parks in the United States. Its sheer scale can be difficult to grasp until you’re standing amid its sweeping valleys, towering mountains, and endless forests. 

Quick-Reference: Yellowstone National Park Size & Facts

Category	Details
Total Area	3,472 square miles (8,991 km²)
Acreage	2,221,766 acres (899,116 hectares)
Dimensions	North–South: 63 miles (102 km); East–West: 54 miles (87 km)
State Distribution	Wyoming (96%), Montana (3%), Idaho (1%)
Elevation Range	5,282 ft (1,610 m) to 11,358 ft (3,462 m)
Forest Cover	80% forest, 15% grassland, 5% water
Yellowstone Lake	132 sq miles (342 km²); Shoreline: 141 miles (227 km)
Roads & Trails	452 miles (727 km) of roads, 1,000 miles (1,609 km) of trails
Highest Point	Eagle Peak – 11,358 ft (3,462 m)
Lowest Point	Reese Creek – 5,282 ft (1,610 m)

The park’s boundaries encompass a diverse and dramatic landscape that stretches across three U.S. states—about 96% lies in Wyoming, 3% in Montana, and 1% in Idaho. This immense expanse gives Yellowstone its unrivaled sense of wildness and space, where nature continues to dominate as it has for millennia.

From north to south, Yellowstone stretches roughly 63 air miles (102 kilometers), while from east to west it measures around 54 miles (87 kilometers). Within this vast territory lie some of the most iconic natural wonders in America—Yellowstone Lake, one of the largest high-elevation lakes in North America; the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, a breathtaking river-carved gorge with its thunderous waterfalls; and the world’s most extraordinary concentration of geothermal features, including geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mud pots. 

The park sits atop a colossal volcanic system, the Yellowstone Caldera, which covers an area approximately 45 by 30 miles (72 by 48 kilometers)—one of the largest active volcanic systems on Earth. Beneath its surface, molten rock still fuels the park’s geysers and hot springs, giving Yellowstone its otherworldly appearance and unmistakable geothermal energy.

The park’s elevation varies dramatically, from its lowest point at Reese Creek (5,282 feet or 1,610 meters) to its highest peak, Eagle Peak (11,358 feet or 3,462 meters). These elevation changes create a variety of ecosystems, from dense lodgepole pine forests to open meadows, alpine tundra, and steaming hydrothermal basins. 

Yellowstone’s landscapes are further defined by its water features—around 5% of the park’s area consists of lakes, rivers, and streams, while forests make up about 80% and grasslands roughly 15%. This mix of environments supports a rich diversity of wildlife, including grizzly bears, wolves, elk, bison, and bald eagles, all thriving across the park’s 2.2 million acres of protected land.

For visitors, the park’s immensity is both exhilarating and humbling. Driving the Grand Loop Road—a 142-mile circuit that connects most of Yellowstone’s major attractions—can take several days if you truly want to explore and appreciate its grandeur. Each region of the park feels like a different world: the steamy basins of the Lower Geyser area, the rugged peaks of the Absaroka Range, the open grasslands of Lamar Valley, and the tranquil shores of Yellowstone Lake. Every corner offers a new perspective on the park’s incredible size and ecological complexity.

What makes Yellowstone’s size even more impressive is not just its physical dimensions but the way it embodies the scale of natural processes. Here, you can watch geysers erupt, rivers carve canyons, and wildlife roam freely across distances that seem untouched by time. Its boundaries protect entire watersheds, ancient migration routes, and volcanic systems that are still reshaping the land today. Yellowstone’s vastness ensures that even with millions of annual visitors, there’s always space to find solitude—whether it’s on a backcountry trail, beside a quiet lake, or under a star-filled sky.

Ultimately, to ask how big Yellowstone is goes beyond miles or acres—it’s about scale in the truest sense. It’s a place where Earth’s raw power and timeless beauty stretch as far as the eye can see, and where every vista reminds visitors just how immense and precious the natural world can be. For anyone who steps foot within its borders, Yellowstone’s size isn’t just measured in geography—it’s felt in the heart.