A. Wilder
Calm into the wild
Yellowstone Coloring Books
On the Trails of Yellowstone
Follow real trails through the park — from Lamar Valley to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone — with maps to guide you and the stories behind every place you pass.
Welcome to the trail
A letter from me, from the front of the book
Step into the wild heart of Yellowstone — where rivers breathe mist at dawn, geysers rise like whispered secrets from the earth, and elk calls echo across golden valleys. This book is an invitation to follow real Yellowstone trails and to meet the wildlife, plants and landscapes that make this place one of Earth's true treasures. As you color, walk, and dream through these pages, may you feel the rhythm of the park's living soul — the harmony between animal and landscape, fire and water, silence and thunder. A. Wilder
More than a coloring book
Maps, facts and real places — a guide you can color
Most coloring books ask nothing of you but your pencils. This one comes with maps of each area of the park, so you can trace the trail you walked today, or the one you're planning for tomorrow.
Alongside every region you'll find the facts that make the place make sense — why the canyon is gold, why the bison came back, what the wolves did to the rivers. Color a page, learn something true, and go out and see it for yourself.
Seven regions of the park
Open a region to see some of what you'll find inside the book
Old Faithful Area
Geysers & first steps
- First national park. Established in 1872, Yellowstone became the blueprint for national parks worldwide.
- Old Faithful's rhythm. It erupts roughly every 90 minutes and lasts a minute and a half to five — the timing depends on underground water pressure.
- Rainbow microbes. The vivid colors of Grand Prismatic Spring come from thermophiles, heat-loving bacteria thriving in different temperature zones.
- Bison's secret strength. More injuries come from bison than any other animal. Their calm look hides explosive power and six-foot leaps.
- Diving moose. Moose feed underwater up to twenty feet down, closing their nostrils like little submarines.
- Eagle fidelity. Bald eagles pair for life. Some nests, reused for decades, weigh over 2,000 pounds.
Mammoth Hot Springs
Travertine & terraces
- Travertine stairs. The terraces are calcium carbonate deposits that can grow up to two feet a year.
- Ghost trees. When a new spring floods an area, the calcium-rich boiling water cooks the roots of living trees. Over time the mineral deposits preserve the trunks in white coats — nature's own sculptures, frozen in time.
- Liberty Cap. A 37-foot travertine cone left behind by an ancient hot spring, standing like a stone geyser.
- Bison's comeback. From only 23 animals in 1902 to over 4,000 roaming wild today — a conservation miracle.
- Pronghorn power. They evolved to outrun the extinct American cheetah. Today nothing on land can catch them.
- Global recognition. In 1978 UNESCO named Yellowstone both a World Heritage Site and a Biosphere Reserve.
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Waterfalls & golden cliffs
- Twice as tall as Niagara. The Lower Falls thunder 308 feet into the canyon — and they are only one of hundreds of waterfalls in the park.
- Painted canyon. The rock glows yellow, orange and red from iron oxidation, like a giant mineral painting.
- Golden rocks. The name Yellowstone comes from the golden rhyolite cliffs of the river canyon.
- The sleeping giant. Yellowstone is a supervolcano. Its last great eruption reshaped half of North America 640,000 years ago.
- Olympic climbers. Mountain goats scale slopes over 60 degrees using rubbery, concave hooves that work like suction cups.
- Phantom cat. Mountain lions avoid people so well that even rangers rarely see one. Most sightings are footprints in snow.
Norris Geyser Basin
The hottest ground
- 459°F. Deep probes in the basin measure hotter than boiling oil.
- Half the world's geysers. No other place has so many active geysers in one area. Iceland and New Zealand combined don't match Yellowstone's count.
- Steamboat, the king. Steamboat Geyser's eruptions can exceed 300 feet — the tallest in the world — and its rumble shakes the ground like thunder.
- Spirit of smoke. Native tribes called this the Land of the Burning Ground. Steam rising from the vents stood for ancestral spirits.
West Thumb & Yellowstone Lake
Water over fire
- A lake above a volcano. Yellowstone Lake is the largest high-elevation lake in North America, and beneath its surface lies an active volcano with hot springs and geysers bubbling on the lake floor.
- Pelicans on the rivers. American white pelicans migrate over 1,500 miles each spring — then fish not in the lake but in the park's rivers, where the current brings their meals to them.
- The elk's song. The haunting autumn bugle is a mix of whistle, roar and grunt, each male trying to impress females and warn off rivals.
- Earth's pulse. The park averages two to three small earthquakes a day — most far too small to feel.
- Otters at play. River otters stay active all winter, sliding on ice for fun and hunting beneath frozen rivers, using trapped air bubbles to find fish.
Lamar Valley
America's Serengeti
- A photographer's paradise. The Hayden and Lamar Valleys teem with bison, wolves and bears.
- Red dogs. Baby bison are reddish-orange for their first months — like little sunset clouds running through the herd.
- Wolf romance. Pairs mate for life, sharing hunting and parenting duties equally. That is rare among mammals.
- Bear diet myths. Grizzlies are omnivores, mostly eating roots, berries, insects and carrion — not constant fresh meat.
- Bear memory. Bears remember berry patches for decades, and cubs learn the routes from their mothers.
- Three states, one wonder. 96% of Yellowstone lies in Wyoming, 3% in Montana and 1% in Idaho.
Hayden Valley & Mud Volcano
Rivers & the wolf story
- The wolf comeback. In 1995, fourteen wolves were reintroduced. Their presence balanced elk numbers and reshaped the park's rivers — a phenomenon called a trophic cascade.
- Wild river. The Yellowstone River flows 692 miles and is the longest undammed river in the continental United States.
- Mammal capital. 67 mammal species live here, the greatest diversity in the lower 48 states — from shrews to grizzlies.
A look inside
Four pages from the book, so you can see the line before you buy.
You’ll notice people on these pages — walking the boardwalks, standing at the overlooks. That is the point of this book: these are places you can go and stand in yourself.
Who it's for
If you're planning a trip
The maps and regional facts turn this into trip preparation you actually enjoy. Color the place before you stand in it.
If you love to color
Landscapes, wildlife and geothermal wonders, drawn from real places rather than invented scenery.
If you're curious
Every region carries facts worth knowing. It's the kind of book you finish knowing more than when you started.
Editions
| Paperback | Hardcover | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 8.25 × 11 in | 8.25 × 11 in |
| Binding | Softcover, matte | Case laminate |
Current prices are shown on Amazon.
Get your copy
Available in paperback and hardcover
The hardcover edition is on the same listing — switch format at the top of the page if you'd like the sturdier one.
Shopping from outside the US? Pick your store