Island Park is a broad plateau, actually a large, shallow dish, just west of Yellowstone National Park.

Like the center of Yellowstone presently is, Island Park is the former location of the "hot spot." Island Park too is a giant collapsed volcanic caldera -- The Henry's Fork Caldera. No surface thermal features remain, however, from the supervolcano of 1.3 million years ago, save for the slightly elevated temperature of Warm River Spring.

Island Park is mostly forest with some broad meadows, and temporary ones too (clearcuts), mostly on the Targhee National Forest.

Parts of the area get heavy motorized recreation use, especially snowmobiles. 15-25 years ago, Island Park was subjected to a massive timber salvage operation. Much of the forest is young regeneration. There are many old logging roads, although conservationists have seen that a fair number are closed and now  disappearing.

The Henry's Fork of the Snake River, a famed fishing stream, rises in Island Park and meanders though it until it empties into Island Park Reservoir. Downstream, the river has cut an impressive gorge, though which it flows out of the caldera rim onto the Snake River Plain.

The mountains around Island Park are summer home to many elk and the "sand hills" to its southwest winter home for a large herd of elk.

In 2005, for the first time, a pack of wolves has moved into the Island Park area.  

Marsh in Island Park. Copyright © Ralph Maughan

Regenerating clearcut in Island Park. Most of Island Park was clearcut in the period 1970-90, but regeneration is now thick, except at some of the higher elevations

Copyright © Ralph Maughan