YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — A 60-year-old woman sustained second and third-degree burns on her legs while walking off-trail in a thermal area near Mallard Lake Trailhead in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) on Monday, Sept. 16, the park announced Wednesday. The trailhead is just east of Old Faithful.
The woman, visiting from New Hampshire, was walking off-trail with her husband and leashed dog when she broke through the “thin crust over scalding water,” according to YNP. Her husband and dog were not harmed.
The woman visited one of the park’s medical clinic for evaluation, YNP said. She was then transported via helicopter to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for treatment.
“Visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution,” YNP’s statement reads. “The ground in these areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface. Learn more about safety in thermal areas.”
YNP also noted that pets are prohibited on the park’s boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident remains under investigation. YNP said this was the first known thermal injury of the year. Last summer, a visitor suffered thermal burns after departing the boardwalk and faced criminal charges after he was found to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Earlier this year, actor Pierce Brosnan was ordered to pay fines after leaving the boardwalk near Mammoth Hot Springs and standing on a thermal feature to pose for a photo.
Following the Biscuit Basin hydrothermal explosion in July, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Michael Poland spoke to Buckrail about visitor safety in the park’s thermal areas, encouraging visitors to stay on the designated trails and boardwalks.
“These are spectacular places and you really have to be careful where you walk,” he said. “The park puts a lot of effort into putting the boardwalks in places that are not thermal ground.”
