Simple Fact About Yellowstone National Park You Didn’t Know

Many people believe the name Yellowstone came from the golden colors of the rock bluffs in the "Grand Canyon" of Yellowstone.

According to the National Park, the park was named after the Yellowstone River, which runs through it. In the 1800s, trappers asked the Minnetaree Tribe for the river's name, to which they responded Mi tse a-da-zi (Yellow Rock River). Native American tribes named the river after the golden-colored sandstone bluffs near Billings, MT. Later, the French translated the name to Roche Jaune (Yellow Rock) and eventually to English as the Yellowstone River.

The Yellowstone River flows northwest from the Absaroka Range, where the north and south forks converge. The larger river then runs into the park, into Yellowstone Lake. The river is the only tributary that enters and then exits the lake. Once it does, it flows through Yellowstone's upper and lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

The river flows out of the park's northern boundary and into Montana before eventually emptying into the Missouri River, which leads to the Mississippi River and eventually into the Gulf of America. At over 670 miles long, it is the longest undammed river left in the lower 48 United States.

Yellowstone National Park's incredible history, name, and legacy were highlighted in a 2022 docuseries, Yellowstone: One-Fifty. Kevin Costner hosted the show, which eventually spawned the latest series, Yellowstone to Yosemite.

The four-part series Yellowstone: One-fifty follows Costner as he hikes, snowshoes, and snowmobiles his way through the park, telling the story of the history and what led to the preservation of the Nation's first National Park.