17-year-old hiker burns foot in Yellowstone thermal area near Old Faithful
A 17-year-old hiker burned his foot and ankle while hiking in a thermal area near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, officials said.
He was hiking near the Lone Star Geyser not far from Old Faithful the morning of July 28 when his foot broke through the thin crust into scalding water beneath the surface, the National Park Service said in an emailed news release.
Emergency medical staff took him to a hospital for treatment, and rangers are investigating, officials said.
It was the first known thermal injury in the park this year, officials said. The last reported incident was when a 60-year-old woman walking off-trail in a thermal area also near Old Faithful broke through the crust in September 2024, McClatchy News previously reported.
Officials urged visitors to stay on designated boardwalks and trails in thermal areas.
“Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations,” officials said. “Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.”
Yellowstone’s hot springs
More people have been injured or killed in the park’s hot springs than any other natural feature, rangers say.
In October 2021, a 20-year-old woman was severely burned after she ran into a hot spring to rescue her dog, McClatchy News previously reported. The dog died from its injuries.
A month earlier, a 19-year-old suffered third-degree burns over 5% of her body after visiting the Old Faithful geyser.
In 2016, a man may have dissolved after trying to soak in a thermal area, a practice known as “hot potting.” Workers couldn’t find any remains, and park rangers believe he dissolved in the deadly hot water, the Associated Press reported.
More than 20 people have died from burns after entering or falling into Yellowstone’s hot springs, officials said.
Several tourists have been fined for leaving the boardwalks.
In 2021, a man from Maine plead guilty to trespassing on Old Faithful and was sentenced to 15 days in jail, McClatchy News reported.
In 2022, a social media influencer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and agreed to pay about $2,000 after he filmed himself walking on geothermal grounds in the park for a TikTok video, McClatchy News reported.
Thermal trespass, the formal name of the offense, is punishable by up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 5:29 PM with the headline "17-year-old hiker burns foot in Yellowstone thermal area near Old Faithful."