Elevation of West Yellowstone, Montana

West Yellowstone sits at 2,031 meters at the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park, positioned in a broad valley formed by ancient volcanic and glacial activity. The town is situated on a plateau of rhyolitic lava flows from the Yellowstone caldera, surrounded by the Madison Range to the north and the Gallatin Range to the east. The landscape features extensive evidence of glacial modification, including terminal moraines and erratic boulders. The Madison River valley provides a natural corridor through the mountains, while the nearby Hebgen Lake occupies a basin created by tectonic activity and modified by the 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake. The surrounding terrain includes extensive lodgepole pine forests adapted to the high elevation and volcanic soils, with the transition to alpine vegetation occurring above 2,500 meters.