The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Greater than the sum of its parts
Story by Joseph Piccoli

Photo: © Bob Woodall/ FPI Sunrise Illuminates the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of of the Yellowstone River

     From tiny microbes dwelling in the hot pools of Yellowstone to wolves now colonizing Grand Teton National Park, northwest Wyoming is one of the foremost sanctuaries for flora and fauna in the world.Welcome to the GYE, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Comprising 11 million acres in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana and encompassing forests and alpine lakes, mountain ranges, and wild rivers, the GYE is the largest relatively intact ecosystem in the lower 48 states. A small portion of the GYE is private land and people live here, of course, but most of the land is protected in two national parks and more than a dozen national forests, wilderness areas, and state and federal wildlife refuges.
     While the human population is small, millions of people visit the region every year. Most of them arrive with their sights set on Yellowstone National Park, the 2.2-million-acre cornerstone of the ecosystem.
     Yellowstone is celebrated for several reasons. It was the first national park and is home to the greatest concentration of thermal features in the world—including one-fifth of the earth’s active geysers. Yellowstone is also a haven for thousands of plant and animal species. Great herds of bison and elk—among the largest concentrations in the world—roam the park. Moose, deer, grizzly and black bears are common. Even wolves, once eradicated from the region, have been reintroduced to the park and are thriving.

Photo: Henry H. Holdsworth/Wild by Nature Gallery Bull Moose, Antlers in Velvet

          Because it is so large and has been protected for so long, Yellowstone park sustains more species of “charismatic megafauna” in greater numbers than almost any other place on earth. But big mammals aren’t the only wild inhabitants of the GYE. Smaller mammals include coyotes, wolverines, foxes, and badgers. Scores of bird species frequent the region—among them threatened and endangered species such as bald eagles, trumpeter swans, and whooping cranes.There are wildflowers, edible and medicinal plants in such abundance that visitors can and do spend an entire vacation studying and enjoying the flora alone.
Surprisingly, a large majority of the millions of annual visitors never go farther than a few hundred yards from a road. Still, such folks can see all manner of wildlife in Yellowstone. They can even see many of Yellowstone’s famous thermal features—including Old Faithful Geyser—from the front seats of their cars and RVs.
          In Grand Teton National Park, visitors need walk no farther than the edge of one of the many scenic turnouts along the two main roads through the park to get great views of the Tetons.
But with thousands of miles of hiking trails crisscrossing the GYE, and with choices ranging from 20-minute strolls to 10-day wilderness treks, why do so few people venture away from the congestion along the paved roads? After all, even folks who can’t tackle the footpaths can find roads less traveled and non-motorized options galore.
          For example, large tracts of the several national forests in the GYE are accessible via roads originally built for loggers and miners. Although drivers of large RVs shouldn’t attempt to travel these roads, many of them are quite suitable for the family sedan. You can get road maps and travel advice at any Forest Service district ranger’s office or the headquarters of any of the five national forests in the GYE (check the government pages of a local telephone book).
          Many of those roads, by the way, are great places to pedal a mountain bike. Bike shops throughout the region rent bikes and offer advice about where to ride. There are also companies that offer guided bike tours.
          You can also park your car or motor home, climb into a raft or canoe, and paddle across a lake, float down a placid section of river, or tackle a wild stretch of white water. Several companies in the region rent boats and canoes for those who want to strike out on their own, others offer a wide variety of guided trips and tours.
          And this is the Wild West after all, so don’t forget to check out the many opportunities to get astride a horse and ride off into a sunset, a sunrise, or a high noon. Your choices range from just a couple of easy hours in the saddle to multi-day pack trips into the farthest reaches of a roadless wilderness areaCloser to the trailhead, check out the many ranger-led activities offered in both Yellowstone and Teton parks. Rangers conduct tours of park museums, present visitor center and evening campground programs, and lead short strolls through special parts of the parks. Check at park visitor centers for more information.

Photo:© Bob Woodall/ FPI

Horse- pack trip on the Continental Divide at Marston Pass near the Headwaters of the Yellowstone River.

Photo: © Wade McKoy/ FPI Sea Kyaking at Dusk at sunset at the Southeast Arm of Yellowstone Lake

     Those who do leave the highways will find plenty of places to go. In Yellowstone park there are more than 800 miles of hiking trails (compared to about 250 miles of roads). Grand Teton park has “only” about 200 miles of trails, but most of those take you quickly into the heart of the spectacular Teton range. And unlike Yellowstone, Grand Teton abounds in off-trail mountaineering and climbing opportunities.
Both Grand Teton and Yellowstone require backcountry travelers planning overnight trips to register with park rangers. It is also wise for anyone planning a long day trip to consult a ranger before striking out. Both parks have trail maps and rangers can make suggestions, but there are also plenty of guidebooks on the shelves in local bookstores and in park and forest visitor centers.
     For those with the time and the inclination to delve deeply into the details of the GYE, the Yellowstone Association Institute and the Teton Science School are non-profit organizations offering year-round programs ranging from simple one-day wildlife viewing excursions to multi-day seminars in both the natural and human history of the GYE.
     As their names imply, the Yellowstone Institute focuses on Yellowstone park while Teton Science School gives most of its attention to Grand Teton park. Both organizations, however, range far and wide in the GYE. For more Yellowstone Institute information, call (307) 344-2289 or visit their web site at www.yellowstoneassociation.org. Contact the Teton Science School at (307) 733-4765 or at www.tetonscience.org.
     There is, in fact, so much to see and do that it is perhaps not remarkable that so few people get off the beaten paths of the GYE. Even folks who live here are hard pressed to take it all in and the farther you venture from the roads, the more there is to take in.

     Joseph Piccoli is a writer and editor living in Jackson Hole.

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Copyright 2004 by FPI (Focus Productions, Inc)., P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publishers.

Mountain Country is a free visitors’ guide published annually in May and distributed at hundreds of locations throughout Jackson Hole, Cody, and other regional communities. To receive a copy in the mail, send $5 to Mountain Country, P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001.

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