Yellowstone National Park offers park-goers the opportunity to enjoy many incredible natural sites, including 500-700 active geysers each year. That accounts for nearly half of all the world's active geysers.
These hot springs can be fatal to tourists, making it imperative to stay on boardwalks. However, not all tourists seem to follow these rules.
One Facebook user shared images of a couple of tourists breaking off the trail at Yellowstone National Park to the Facebook group "Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of The Idiots!"
The images show the couple walking off the boardwalk and over the thermal areas of Yellowstone. One image even shows another person with an open beer can.
"Walking around the hot springs and geysers can kill you," one commenter wrote. "Read and learn to be safe like millions of [other] people do visiting the parks."
According to the National Park Service, "burns from thermal features are a common cause of serious injury and death in the park. The ground surrounding these features may look solid, but it can be just a thin crust with super-heated water below."
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That's why it is so vital to stay on the boardwalks in these parts of Yellowstone. The United States Geological Survey says that hundreds of injuries have occurred due to the hot springs at Yellowstone, making it even more dangerous than wildlife encounters at the park.
Yellowstone National Park brings in as many as 4.8 million tourists each year who are drawn to the park's natural features and stunning wildlife. However, some tourists don't follow the park's rules, putting themselves, others, and the wildlife in danger.
Tourists have been caught on camera getting too close to bison, wolves, and bears. Approaching wild animals can cause them to get stressed and lead to dangerous encounters. Keeping your distance helps avoid injuries to yourself and others while ensuring animals are not put in a position to be euthanized.
Countless bystanders have witnessed other tourists going off the boardwalks for a stroll on the hot springs, putting themselves at risk. Following the clear signage for where to stay is crucial for all tourists to stay safe and keep areas of Yellowstone National Park accessible for all to enjoy.
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Definitely 👍 Commenters on the post shared their shock and outrage at the tourists hopping off the boardwalk onto the hot springs.
"Arrest them and ban them forever!" one person wrote.
"People just don't read updates on the park and the most important thing, about [its] geysers system and its dangers of the environment that they are in and the animals in it," another commenter wrote.
"Rules of the Park should be available in all languages," another shared. Yellowstone does have information available in ten languages for a wide range of tourists to read and stay safe.
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