Yellowstone, river, 671 mi (1,080 km) long, rising in NW Wyo., and flowing NE through Mont. to enter the Missouri River near the N.Dak. line; it drains c.70,400 sq mi (182,340 sq km). The Yellowstone receives the Bighorn, Powder, Tongue, and many smaller rivers. The most scenic aspects of the river are found in Yellowstone National Park in NW Wyoming. There, the river feeds and drains Yellowstone Lake, 139 sq mi (360 sq km), the largest high-altitude (alt. 7,331 ft/2,234 m) lake in North America. After leaving the lake, the river drops 109 ft (33 m) at Upper Falls, then 308 ft (94 m) at Lower Falls, before entering the deep and spectacular Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (19 mi/31 km long); Tower Falls, 132 ft (40 m) high, is at the northern end of the canyon. The river's waters have been used for irrigation since the late 1860s. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation operates several projects on the Yellowstone that are used for irrigation, flood control, power production, and recreation. These include the Huntley project near Billings, Mont., the Buffalo Rapids project near Glendive, Mont., and the Savage unit of the Missouri River basin project.

National preserve in northwestern Wyoming, southern Montana, and eastern Idaho, U.S. The oldest national park in the U.S. (and in the world), it was established by the U.S. Congress in 1872; it covers 3,468 sq mi (8,983 sq km). The Gallatin, Absaroka, and Teton mountain ranges extend into it. Yellowstone has unusual geologic features, including fossil forests and eroded basaltic lava flows. It also has 10,000 hot springs, which erupt as steam vents, fumaroles, and geysers. Old Faithful, the park's most famous geyser, erupts every 33 to 120 minutes. There are many lakes and rivers, including Yellowstone Lake, Shoshone Lake, the Snake River, and the Yellowstone River. In 1988 an extensive series of forest fires temporarily laid waste to large areas of the park.

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Yellowstone: The Music of Nature is an album by Mannheim Steamroller, released in 1989. Its concept was to pay homage to the nature of Yellowstone National Park.

The album tracks consist a compilation of both older tracks from Davis and (relatively) newer tracks (Earthrise and Return to the Earth--the former of which had appeared in a 1987 American Gramaphone 'sampler'), and fully orchestrated pieces from notable classical composers such as Claude Debussy, Antonio Vivaldi, Ottorino Respighi, and Ferde Grofé.

Track listing

1. "Pines of Rome: I Pini Di Villa Borghese" – 2:58
2. "Pines of Rome: III Pini Del Gianicolo" – 7:15
3. "Interlude III" – 2:26
4. "Ballade" – 7:28
5. "Sunrise at Rhodes" – 3:44
6. "Come Home To The Sea" – 4:50
7. "Morning" – 2:46
8. "Interlude VI" – 3:11
9. "La Primavera (Spring): I Allegro" – 3:47
10. "La Primavera (Spring): 3 Allegro" – 4:57
11. "Nepenthe" – 5:27