Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming – Two tourists were caught on video walking directly on Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park this past week in what appears to be a blatant violation of park regulations protecting one of the park’s most famous geothermal features. Several angles were captured of the incident, showing the pair walking along the edge of the colorful hot spring while other visitors remained on the boardwalk
Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States and one of Yellowstone National Park’s most recognizable attractions. Measuring up to 330 feet across and more than 120 feet deep the spring is famous for its brilliant blue center surrounded by rings of green yellow orange and red created by heat loving microorganisms living in the mineral rich water.
Millions of visitors travel to Midway Geyser Basin every year to see the remarkable spring from the park’s boardwalk system. Those boardwalks are designed to protect both visitors and the fragile geothermal landscape. Stepping off the boardwalk is both illegal and incredibly dangerous.
The ground surrounding Yellowstone’s thermal features can be thin and unstable with scalding water lying just beneath the surface. Hot spring water can cause severe or fatal burns in seconds. According to the National Park Service, burns from thermal features are a common cause of both serious injury and death in the park.
Walking on thermal ground also threatens the fragile microbial mats that give Grand Prismatic Spring its famous colors. Damage caused by a single set of footprints can last for years and in some cases may be permanent. The rules protecting these areas exist for a reason. Ignoring them puts lives at risk while threatening irreplaceable natural resources that millions of people travel from around the world to experience.
Yellowstone National Park Thermal Safety Guidelines:
Stay on boardwalks
Always walk on boardwalks and designated trails. Keep children close and do not let them run on boardwalks.
Don’t touch thermal features or runoff
Even thermal runoff can be extremely hot and cause burns. Hot springs also contain algae, bacteria, and fungi found nowhere else in the world; coming in contact with these life forms can destroy them. Resist the temptation to touch!
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. For your safety and for the protection of thermal features in Yellowstone, it is illegal to swim or bathe in any water that is entirely of thermal origin.
Pets are prohibited in thermal areas
Pets are not allowed in thermal areas or on boardwalks, even if they’re on a leash or carried in arms, strollers, or backpacks. This policy exists to protect our pets from being burned or killed in hot springs.
Trained service animals that perform tasks directly related to a person’s disability are allowed throughout the park and in all park facilities. They must be leashed at all times.
If you feel sick, leave the thermal area immediately
Toxic gases may accumulate to dangerous levels in some hydrothermal areas. If you begin to feel sick while exploring a geyser basin, leave the area immediately.