Trash From Yellowstone Thermal Areas Sets New Record

Above, record amounts of trash has been recovered from
Yellowstone's thermal areas like this one. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yellowstone National Park has been enjoyed by visitors for generations. 

Where else can one see beautiful vistas, animals, waterfalls, geysers and thermal areas? Unfortunately, some people have no common sense or respect for the natural wonders.

Trash has been recovered from thermal areas that people carelessly tossed in. The park has broken it trash cleanup record this year.

According to an article in RV Travel:

Yellowstone National Park has set a new record for trash recovered from its geysers and hot springs. And the park’s geology team has some remarkable additions to its collection of lost and discarded belongings.

Last September, RV Travel reported that park workers had recovered more than 13,000 pieces of trash, 4,000 rocks and sticks, and 300 hats from Yellowstone’s hydrothermal areas.

This year, the trash count has soared.

By early September, workers had collected more than 20,100 pieces of trash, 5,600 rocks and sticks, and 280 hats. The U.S. Geological Survey calls 2026 a record-setting year for debris removal.

To read more, go here. 

Yellowstone's Biscuit Basin Closed This Summer

Above, one of many geothermal pools in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For those planning to visit Yellowstone National Park this summer, it has been announced that the park is closing Biscuit Basin geothermal area to visitors this summer.

This was due to an explosion last July that could have injured (or killed) visitors.

RV Travel reported:

If you’re planning an RV trip to Yellowstone National Park this summer, it’s important to note that Biscuit Basin, a popular geothermal area, remains closed for the 2025 season.

This closure follows a significant hydrothermal explosion that occurred last July at the Black Diamond Pool. The explosion propelled boiling water, steam, and debris into the air, damaging the boardwalk and surrounding areas. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The National Park Service has decided to keep Biscuit Basin closed through the summer of 2025 due to ongoing safety concerns. The area remains geothermally active, and the risk of additional hydrothermal events persists.

To read more, go here. 

3-Year-Old Severely Burned After Falling Into A Thermal Pool

Above, a geothermal pool in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I blame the parents for this.

If people are going to bring their very young children to Yellowstone National Park, they need to keep them under tight control, even as far has having a leash on them. They can't be left running loose around geysers and geothermal pools.

From The News & Observer:

A 3-year-old has second-degree thermal burns after slipping and falling into a scalding thermal pool, Yellowstone National Park said.

The child took off running away from the trail, slipped and fell into the boiling water, the park said Friday in a news release. They have thermal burns on their lower body and back and had to be lifelighted to the burn center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

“The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface,” the park said. “Visitors must always remain on boardwalks and trails and exercise extreme caution around thermal features.”

There have been other severe injuries and fatalities from the thermal pools and geysers at Yellowstone over the recent years (the article recounts some).

To read more, go here.