Yellowstone National Park visitors were shocked when a tourist walked across a protected off-limits zone in flip-flops to retrieve a hat.
The incident was shared on Facebook
The horrifying moment, which occurred on July 28 according to a post made on July 30, was shared to a public Facebook group called ‘Yellowstone: Invasion of the Idiots’.
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In this group, park goers share incidents of visitors breaking park rules or common-sense safety protocols.
Photos were shared in the post
The anonymous poster shared photos of the incident that showed an unknown man stepping onto a bacterial mat near the park’s Grand Prismatic Spring.
According to the National Park Service, these mats are comprised of delicate living organisms. They’re also responsible for the landscape’s signature colorful look.
The organisms are highly sensitive
The organisms which grow on these mats are highly sensitive to outside disturbances. They are called thermophiles and they thrive in the intense heat of the park’s thermal basin.
The man, who was picking up hats that had blown onto the mats, started “illegally and repeatedly” walking “all over the bacterial mats,” according to the post.
This is considered thermal trespassing
Walking on these mats is considered ‘thermal trespassing’, which is the act of illegally entering designated thermal areas in national parks.
Thermal trespassing is punishable by fines, park bans, and in some cases, jail time.
A man once spent seven days in jail because of it
The New York Times reports that in 2024, a 21-year-old tourist spent seven days in jail and was banned from the park for two years after he walked from the designated visitor area to get closer to the world’s tallest active geyser, Steamboat Geyser.
Othes were sentenced to 10 days in jail
Another two men were each sentenced to 10 days in jail back in 2020, a fine of $540, five years of unsupervised probation as well as a five-year ban from the park.
This was after they trespassed on the cone of Old Faithful Geyser, a press release from the National Park Service said at the time.
The park has talked about trespassing many times
Chief Ranger Sarah Davis said in a statement within the National Park Service press release at the time that “visitors must realize that walking on thermal features is dangerous, damages the resource [is] and illegal.”
Trespassing on the protected zones is taken seriously
“Law enforcement officers take this violation seriously. Yellowstone National Park also appreciates the court for recognizing the impact thermal trespass can have on these amazing features,” Davis said.
