A 60-year-old woman has sustained thermal burns after going off-trail at Yellowstone National Park.
The incident took place on the afternoon of Monday September 16, 2024, when the woman, her husband, and their leashed dog wandered into the thermal area near Mallard Lake Trailhead, at Old Faithful. The woman then stepped through a thin crust covering some of the scalding water.
Although both her husband and their dog were unharmed, the woman suffered second- and third-degree burns on her lower leg and had to be airlifted to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for further treatment.
Although this is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone this year, it is far from being the first of its kind.
When visiting the famous thermal sites at the national park, tourists are urged to stay on specifically prescribed trails and boardwalks. But despite being clear and simple to follow, people often ignore these instructions and instead beat their own path to see the thermal vents that make the location so popular. This is where accidents happen. In fact, the US Geological Survey estimates that 22 people have been killed by the scalding waters at Yellowstone since it became a national park in 1872.
The thermal waters at Yellowstone are incredible but also deadly. For instance, the waters of Grand Prismatic Spring, the largest in the US, can reach temperatures between 63 and 87°C (145 to 189°F).
The temperature is not the only thing to worry about. Many of the hot springs around the park are also extremely acidic. The lethal implications of this are starkly present in an unfortunate incident from 2016, when a 23-year-old man fell into the one of the springs when he wanted to dip his finger in to test its heat. By the next day, his body had completely dissolved.
This is why park authorities take the springs so seriously and why visitors can face charges if they wander off the prescribed paths. Even high-profile actors are not above the rules on this one.
This latest incident is now under investigation and park authorities have issued a reminder to visitors to stick to the paths and boardwalks. They have also stressed that pets are prohibited from the boardwalks, as well as the hiking trails around the thermal areas and the backcountry.
You can learn more about safety at Yellowstone National Park here.
