A park visitor from New Hampshire severely burnt her lower leg while walking in a thermal area at the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
The 60-year-old woman was walking off-trail with her husband and a leashed dog in a thermal area near Mallard Lake Trailhead at Old Faithful when she stepped and broke through thin crust over scalding water, suffering second- and third-degree burns, said the National Park Service (NPS) in a news release on Sept. 16.
The woman was evaluated at a park medical clinic and later transported by helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center to receive further treatment. The news release said the husband and the dog were not injured.
The incident is under investigation. It’s the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, according to the NPS.
The agency said pets are banned in thermal areas, boardwalks, hiking trails, and backcountry.
Visitors are reminded to exercise caution and stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas as the ground is fragile and thin with scaling water just below the surface, the NPS said.
The water temperature 45 feet inside the “throat” of Old Faithful is 244 degrees Fahrenheit (117 degrees Celsius) with the temperature surpassing 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius) deeper inside the plumbing of the geyser, according to the agency.
Hydrothermal Explosion at Yellowstone Earlier This Year
In July, a hydrothermal explosion—an eruption of high-pressure steam from underground—at Biscuit Basin, located north of Old Faithful, ejected steam, debris, grapefruit-sized rocks, mud, and boiling water hundreds of feet into the air.
A nearby boardwalk was damaged but there were no reports of injuries from visitors. The NPS reported the explosion affected the Black Diamond Pool and Black Opal Pool and somewhat changed the shape of the Black Diamond.
The park staff has closed the Biscuit Basin for the remainder of the 2024 season and will continue to monitor its conditions.
Safety Tips in Thermal Areas at Yellowstone
The National Park Service provides multiple safety tips on its website when visiting Yellowstone National Park, including safety guidelines around thermal areas.
They said visitors must keep children close and walk on boardwalks and designated trails as they are designed to “protect you and delicate thermal formations.”
The crust around hot springs is thin and breakable with scalding water underneath that can cause severe or fatal burns, the agency said.
Visitors are warned against touching thermal features or runoff. Bringing pets to thermal areas, throwing objects into hot springs or other hydrothermal features, and 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.” the agency said.
The NPS states toxic gas might accumulate to dangerous levels in some hydrothermal areas and guests must leave the area immediately if they start feeling sick.
More information can be found at the National Park Service website.