Woman Illegally in Yellowstone Park Falls In Thermal Feature

You're in the park illegally and walking backwards taking pictures near a geyser. What could possibly go wrong?

That apparently was the scenario for a woman who had entered Yellowstone National Park yesterday (Tuesday). While visiting the park, which is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, in an area near Old Faithful Geyser, she fell into a thermal feature while taking photographs.

Even though she was suffering with injuries associated with being burned, the woman reportedly drove herself approximately 50 miles, where park rangers eventually stopped her near Mammoth Hot Springs. Though the extent of her injuries was not released, she was flown to a hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

This of course is not the first time Yellowstone National Park has experienced this type of bad judgement. As you may recall, last fall, a man who was walking off a boardwalk near Old Faithful at night fell into a hot spring, suffering serious burns. And in June of 2016, a Portland, Oregon man fell into a superheated, acidic mud pot and died. His remains couldn’t be recovered.

Whether or the park gets back to anything that resembles normal operation this season, visitors are warned to stay on the boardwalks near Yellowstone’s often boiling or acidic thermal features, which include geysers, hot springs, steam vents and mud pots. Given that it will take months for life return to normal after the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s no surprise that we’ll see limited services in Yellowstone National Park once it opens. Sadly, it has been announced that Old Faithful Inn and sit-down restaurants will be closed for the entire summer season.