2010-D Wyoming Yellowstone National Park Quarter GEM BU America the Beautiful

Yellowstone National Park was established by the U.S. Congress as a National Park on March 1, 1872.   President Ulysses S Grant signed the bill making Yellowstone a National Park.  It is located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho.  Native Americans lived in the area for thousands of years.  The park was the first of its kind and is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park.  Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468 square miles or 2,219,789 acres (larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined).  Yellowstone National Park is comprised of lakes, canyons, rivers, and mountain ranges.

Yellowstone National Park is also known for its wide variety of plants and wildlife:  7 species of ungulates (bison, moose, elk, pronghorn, and deer), 2 species of bear, and 67 other mammals, 322 species of birds, 16 species of fish.  There are over 1,100 species of native plants, more than 200 species of exotic plants, and over 400 species of thermophiles.  The park is home to one of the world's largest calderas with over 10,000 thermal features and more than 300 geysers.  Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent.  Yellowstone National Park has one of the world's largest petrified forests. It has over 290 waterfalls with the 308 foot Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River as its showpiece.  

Yellowstone National Park has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing. Paved roads provide close access to the major geothermal areas as well as some of the lakes and waterfalls.  The Grand Loop Drive provides vehicle access to many of the parks most popular attractions. 

From 2010 through 2021 the US Mint is issuing commemorative quarters with special reverse designs celebrating National Parks and other National Sites. A park or site is being honored in each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the five US Territories: Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands. Each National Park or National Site was selected for its natural or historical significance. The National Park Quarters are being minted and issued at the rate of 5 designs a year, in approximately ten week intervals. The National Park Quarters are being released in the order that the locations were first designated as National Sites. The Obverse side of the coins feature a smaller restoration of the original Washington Quarter portrait, modeled from designer John Flanagan's 1932 plaster. The Reverse of each coin will feature a representation of the unique character and environment of each State, District, or Territory's National Park or Historic Site.

Circulation strikes will be made at the Philadelphia (P) and Denver (D) mints. The San Francisco (S) mint will strike the proofs in clad composition and silver. Clad composition strikes contain an outer layer of 75% copper and 25% nickel bonded to an inner core of pure copper with a 24.33 mm diameter, 5.67 grams weight, and a reeded edge. The silver strikes will contain 90% silver and 10% copper with a 24.33 mm diameter, 6.25 grams weight, and a reeded edge.