Photo of the Day – The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone – Yellowstone NP, Wyoming, USA

Ever wonder why Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is called “Yellowstone”. This photo of The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, found deep in the middle of the park offers you a clue. Unfortunately that clue leads you in the direction of the most commonly misstated fact about Yellowstone National Park!

Yellowstone was not named for the abundant yellow-colored rhyolite lavas in The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The name actually comes from a reference to yellow sandstones along the banks of the Yellowstone River in eastern Montana, several hundred miles downstream and northeast of the park.

I took this picture last fall while I was out in Jackson, Wyoming celebrating my brothers wedding.