Editing Yellowstone National Park (section)

== Geography ==
{{See also|Mountains and mountain ranges of Yellowstone National Park|Waterfalls in Yellowstone National Park|Plateaus of Yellowstone National Park}}
[[File:NPS yellowstone-map-2020.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Official park map {{circa}} 2020 (click on map to enlarge)]]
[[File:Yellowstone by Sentinel-2, 2020-07-16 (small version).jpg|thumb|Satellite image of Yellowstone National Park in 2020]]
{{maplink|frame=yes|type=shape|fill=#ffffff|fill-opacity=0|stroke-width=3|text=Interactive map of Yellowstone National Park}} Yellowstone National Park occupies a roughly square parcel of volcanic complex that jogs slightly beyond the northwestern corner of Wyoming. Approximately 96 percent of the total land area of Yellowstone National Park is located within the state of Wyoming.<ref name="facts"/> Another three percent is within Montana, with the remaining one percent in Idaho. Montana's portion of Yellowstone contains multiple trails, facilities and swimming holes, while the Idaho portion of the park is completely undeveloped. The irregular eastern boundary of the national park follows the height of land along the [[Absaroka Range]].

The park is {{convert|63|mi|km}} north to south, and {{convert|54|mi|km}} west to east by air. Yellowstone is {{convert|2219789|acre|km2 sqmi|0}}<ref name="acres"/> in area, larger than either of the states of [[Rhode Island]] or [[Delaware]]. Rivers and lakes cover five percent of the land area, with the largest water body being [[Yellowstone Lake]] at {{convert|87040|acre|km2 sqmi|0}}. Yellowstone Lake is up to {{convert|400|ft|m}} deep and has {{convert|110|mi|km}} of shoreline. At an elevation of {{convert|7733|ft|m}} above sea level, Yellowstone Lake is the largest high-elevation lake in North America. Forests comprise 80 percent of the land area of the park; most of the rest is [[prairie|grassland]].<ref name="facts"/>

The [[Continental Divide]] of North America runs diagonally through the southwestern part of the park. The divide is a [[topography|topographic]] feature that separates the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean water drainages. About one-third of the park lies on the west side of the divide. The origins of the Yellowstone and [[Snake River]]s are near each other but on opposite sides of the divide. As a result, the waters of the Snake River flow to the Pacific Ocean, while those of the Yellowstone find their way to the [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref>{{Cite map |publisher=National Geographic Maps |title=National Geographic Yellowstone Lake |isbn=9781566953610 |year=2003 }}</ref>

The park sits on the [[Yellowstone Plateau]], at an average elevation of {{convert|8000|ft|m}} above sea level. The plateau is bounded on nearly all sides by [[mountain range]]s of the [[Rocky Mountains|Middle Rocky Mountains]], which range from {{convert|9000|to|11000|ft|m}} in elevation. The highest point in the park is atop [[Eagle Peak (Wyoming)|Eagle Peak]] ({{convert|11358|ft|m|disp=or}}) and the lowest is along Reese Creek ({{convert|5282|ft|m|disp=or}}).<ref name="facts"/> Nearby mountain ranges include the [[Gallatin Range]] to the northwest, the [[Beartooth Mountains]] in the north, the [[Absaroka Range]] to the east, the [[Teton Range]] to the south, and the [[Madison Range]] to the west. The most prominent summit on the Yellowstone Plateau is [[Mount Washburn]] at {{convert|10243|ft|m}}.<ref name=tower>{{cite map |publisher=National Geographic Maps |title=National Geographic Tower/Canyon |isbn=9781566954358 |year=2008 }}</ref>

Yellowstone National Park has one of the world's largest [[petrified wood|petrified forests]], trees which were long ago buried by ash and soil and transformed from wood to mineral materials. This ash and other volcanic debris are believed to have come from the park area itself as the central part of Yellowstone is the massive caldera of a supervolcano. The park contains 290 [[waterfall]]s of at least {{convert|15|ft|m}}, the highest being the [[Yellowstone Falls|Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River]] at {{convert|308|ft|m}}.<ref name="facts"/>

Three deep canyons are located in the park, cut through the [[Tuff|volcanic tuff]] of the Yellowstone Plateau by rivers over the last 640,000&nbsp;years. The [[Lewis River (Wyoming)|Lewis River]] flows through [[Lewis Canyon]] in the south, and the Yellowstone River has carved two colorful canyons, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone in its journey north.<ref name=tower/><ref name=Mammoth>{{cite map |publisher=National Geographic Maps |title=National Geographic Mammoth Hot Springs |isbn=9781566953047 |year=2003 }}</ref><ref name=OF>{{cite map |publisher=National Geographic Maps |title=National Geographic Old Faithful |isbn=9781566954334 |year=2012 }}</ref>