YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A Texas man was sentenced to five days of incarceration for stepping on hydrothermal features in Yellowstone National Park, according to a Thursday announcement by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming.
Eric Bedient, 50, of Frisco, Texas, was sentenced on March 31 for his transgressions, which occurred on Nov. 8, 2025. According to the announcement, Bedient “walked directly on several fragile and dangerous hydrothermal features in the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Those features included Canary Spring, Mound Terrace, Palette Hot Spring, and Jupiter Terrace. The sentence reflected the extensive nature of violation, the damage Bedient’s footprints left behind, and Bedient’s failure to educate himself about Yellowstone National Park’s regulations.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick imposed the sentence, and the crime was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Calmes.
“Yellowstone’s thermal areas are among the most dangerous natural features in the world,” U.S. Attorney Darin Smith said in a statement. “Mr. Bedient’s disregard for the law could have cost him his life. Prosecuting crimes like this deters others from similar conduct — and from risking becoming thermal soup. We will continue to hold individuals accountable to protect lives and preserve this unique, irreplaceable landscape when their actions threaten these national treasures for future generations.”
Smith’s office included safety reminders for those planning Yellowstone visits, noting in the announcement that more than 20 people have died from burns suffered in the park’s off-limits hydrothermal areas. In 2024, a woman sustained second and third-degree burns on her legs while walking off-trail in a thermal area near Old Faithful.
Bedient’s sentence is not without precedent. In recent years, a handful of visitors have served brief sentences for departing the boardwalk in hydrothermal areas. James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan was fined upwards of $1,500 for standing on a thermal feature in Mammoth Hot Springs and posting a photo posing in the off-limits area in November 2023.
