You might think features like pools of bubbling acid and hidden booby traps are safely relegated to the imaginary world of Indiana Jones. But in Yellowstone, they’re real. And they鈥檙e taking out tourists at a pretty astonishing rate. Just this week, a park visitor suffered third-degree burns after the ground gave way beneath her, dropping her into a pool of scalding-hot water hidden just beneath the surface.
The visitor, a 60-year-old woman from New Hampshire, was hiking off-trail near Old Faithful, the iconic geyser famous for its sky-tickling jet of 350掳F steam. She was accompanied by her husband and dog. They didn鈥檛 realize how thin the ground was鈥攐r what was lurking beneath the delicate crust.
With one misstep, the hiker punched through the thin ground, falling and plunging one leg into the near-boiling water beneath. Her husband and dog remained uninjured. The group was able to self-evacuate to a nearby medical clinic, but the woman was ultimately airlifted to a hospital for further treatment. A from the National Park Service stated that incident remains under investigation. In the meantime, park officials remind all visitors to stay on designated trails and boardwalks.
While this is Yellowstone鈥檚 first hydrothermal injury of 2024, it鈥檚 not the year鈥檚 first close call. Earlier this summer, five visitors accidentally drove their car into a geyser and had to be rescued. Just two weeks after that, a sudden hydrothermal explosion sent hot water and rocks raining from the sky and left panicked visitors running for cover. Some of the stones were up to three feet across and weighed 100 pounds鈥攅nough to in the area.
According to the National Park Service, more people have been injured by Yellowstone鈥檚 hydrothermal springs than any of the park鈥檚 other natural threats. Hot springs-related injuries currently number in the hundreds, and at least by the scalding water. That鈥檚 nearly three times as many deaths as those attributed to bear attacks鈥 over the park鈥檚 recorded history. Bison attacks happen from time to time, but only two bison-related deaths have been recorded.
In fact, the USGS has called the park鈥檚 geothermal springs 鈥.鈥 However, the park points out that not all burns or deaths are the result of accidents. On more than one occasion, an off-leash dog has taken a flying leap into a pool, and its owners have plunged into the near-boiling water to attempt a rescue. Other visitors ignore posted signage to get closer to the water for photo-ops鈥攐nly to be surprised by a burst of steam.
While burns certainly make memorable souvenirs, the park tends to recommend a distanced selfie instead.