Canyon Visitor Education Center, Yellowstone National Park, WY

Yellowstone National Park has a mission of conservation and education for people around the United States and the world. As a top attraction for visitors to Wyoming there are many things to see. For those interested in education they can stop by the Canyon Visitor Education Center. This facility is newly built and for the first time Yellowstone's volcano, geysers, geologic history, and hot springs are explained regarding how the distribution and abundance of wildlife was formed in this area.

Visitors are welcome to explore the exhibits, video productions, real time data, and animations provided. Visitors will be able to see, hear, and learn about Yellowstone in a new and imaginative way. As the name suggests the center is located in the Canyon area. Visitors will have to pay the park entrance fee of $25 per vehicle or $12 per individual.

Canyon Visitor Education Center is easiest to access from the north entrance of the park. It is on the northern loop of roads that run through the national park. Other attractions include Mount Washburn, Dunraven Pass, Norris, Indian Creek, Mammoth, and Tower Junction. If coming from the east on Highway 14 one would need to head north passing Fishing Bridge and head towards Artist Point. Canyon is not on the same loop as Old Faithful. The park has north, east, west, and south entrances.

Exhibits in the Education Center include the Yellowstone: Land to Life film. This film explores how the geological forces such as fire and ice have been able to combine in order to create the landscape visitors see today. The video then explains how the numerous wildlife species such as wolves, moose, beaver, and others can exist inside the park.

After watching the video visitors can explore the life size model of Yellowstone. This model map highlights in certain areas to give a recording of those features. For instance the map narrates the volcanic eruptions that have occurred, lava flow, earthquake faults, and glaciers of the park. The map is on the first floor of the building, and for an aerial view visitors can go to the second floor. Tribes native to the park have offered recordings regarding their perspective on the geology.

There is also a 9,000 pound Kugel ball that shows global volcanic activity. While eruptions seem rare there are still some active volcanoes that could erupt at anytime. There are some large lava lamps around the world to show how volcanoes work. Yellowstone has one of the largest lamps to illustrate how the magma rises due to heat convection. It shows how the earth can move with this activity and form various shapes like geysers.

Computer generated displays, murals, photographs, panoramas, and dioramas are also part of the Canyon Visitor Education Center. All habitats of Yellowstone will be depicted in the exhibits from the lodge pole forest to the grassland habitats. The visitor center is not the only attraction in the area; however, it gets a visitor started on what the loop and the rest of the park has to offer.