Living in Yellowstone

It’s a Whole Different World Out Here

Yellowstone National Park stretches over 2.2 million acres of mountainous landscape.  The vast forests, scenic valleys, and rugged canyons display over 10,000 geothermal features.  Powerful geysers erupt into the sky, and hot springs, mud pots and fumaroles emerge from the ground and display fantastic colors.  The rivers flow freely in Yellowstone country, cascading through canyons and forming hundreds of majestic waterfalls.  These waters find their way to a multitude of beautiful lakes and ponds, which are home to world-class trout populations.

Black bears, grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, elk and wolves call Yellowstone’s natural ecosystem home.  The park’s vast wild habitat supports thousands of fascinating wild creatures of all shapes, sizes, and colors.  This is where the buffalo roam and the deer and antelope play!

There are six main developed areas in Yellowstone that contain visitor centers, hotels, general stores, restaurants, gas stations and gift shops.  This is where most employee facilities and housing exist.  Employee facilities include living quarters, employee cafeterias, and recreational facilities.

Recreational facilities vary depending on location.  Most locations host basketball courts, volleyball courts, softball fields, and disc golf courses.  Indoor facilities include weight rooms, indoor courts, and multi-use areas that contain lending libraries, and ping-pong and pool tables.  Five of these six main locations have a Co-Op Employee Recreation Office that operates through the summer season.

Perhaps one of the unique advantages of living in Yellowstone is being able to hike into the wilderness right out your back door.  There are over 1000 miles of improved trails throughout Yellowstone, and many trailheads are accessible within walking distance of employee residences.  Employees can easily reserve a backcountry campsite by visiting a National Park Service Backcountry Office.  The fishing is phenomenal throughout the park, as are opportunities to view wildlife along the trails.

Yellowstone is an environment of spontaneity – you never really know what to expect around the next corner.  A geyser may erupt along the trail, or a grizzly sow with cubs may unexpectedly cross your path.  The hills may suddenly ring with the eerie sound of an elk bugling, or a wolf’s lone howl.

It’s no wonder why the adventure seeking employees of Yellowstone National Park find this to be a home that can be compared to no other place in the world.