These clueless tourists who ventured off the boardwalk and directly into Yellowstone National Park’s Grand Prismatic Spring not only were in blatant violation of park rules, they didn’t even know what state they were in.
The pair can been seen giving the thumbs up yelling “Idaho is beautiful” but the thing is they are in Wyoming. As a reminder to anyone who plans on visiting Yellowstone, leaving the boardwalk and entering thermal areas is not only destructive to fragile ecology, it can come with hefty fines (a woman was fined $2000 in 2021) and lengthy bans from entering the park.
Bring your zoom lens, stay on the permitted paths and have fun out there folks.
Video by edwinsplifftin
Yellowstone Thermal Areas Rules:
Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations. Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.
- Always walk on boardwalks and designated trails. Keep children close and do not let them run on boardwalks.
- Do not touch thermal features or runoff.
- Swimming or soaking in hot springs is prohibited. More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs.
- Pets are prohibited in thermal areas.
- Do not throw objects into hot springs or other hydrothermal features.
- Toxic gases may accumulate to dangerous levels in some hydrothermal areas. If you begin to feel sick while exploring one of our geyser basins, leave the area immediately.