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Upper Plains: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota

A crowd of tourists watches Old Faithful erupt in Yellowstone National Park. The geyser can shoot between 3,700 and 8,400 gallons of boiling water more than 145 feet (44 m) into the air. Eruptions typically last between two and five minutes. Another Yellowstone geyser, called Steamboat, is known for even larger eruptions, but these do not occur as regularly as Old Faithful’s eruptions.

northeastern Montana. The state is rich with the fossils of dinosaur and other prehistoric animals that lived millions of years ago. Montana receives a low amount of annual precipitation, at 13 inches (33 cm). Summers are shorter than win- ters, and have average temperatures between about 75º and 85º Fahrenheit (24º and 29º Celsius). The plains of Montana go through cycles of drought followed by periods of heavy rain, which causes flooding. The regions with higher elevation have frost and

River, Montana’s largest river. The Bighorn River runs through a Crow Native American reservation . The Little Bighorn River is one of Montana’s best trout fishing rivers. The White Sulphur Springs are in southeastern Montana. These natural, hot springs consist of pure mineral water. Vacationers come to White Sulphur Springs to bathe in these hot mineral baths. Known for its white water rafting, Smith River, is down valley from White Sulphur Springs. Vacationers go on dino-hunts in