A hiker in Yellowstone was airlifted to the hospital with severe burns after straying from the designated trail near Old Faithful.
At Old Faithful's Mallard Lake Trailhead, a woman endured second and third-degree burns while strolling.
On Monday, a 60-year-old hiker was burned by scalding water while walking off-trail in a thermal area at Yellowstone National Park. The NPS announced that the injuries required her to be airlifted to hospital by helicopter.
Officials said that a woman from New Hampshire suffered second and third-degree burns to her lower leg after breaking through a thin crust over scalding water while walking off-trail with her husband and leashed dog near Mallard Lake Trailhead at Old Faithful in the afternoon.
The couple visited a park clinic for evaluation, and the woman was subsequently transported via helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, approximately 90 miles away from the Wyoming park, for additional treatment.
The husband and dog were not injured, officials said.
Visitors should exercise extreme caution while exploring hydrothermal areas and stick to boardwalks and trails to avoid damaging the fragile and thin ground that lies just beneath the scalding water.
No pets are allowed on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry, or in thermal areas.
The plumbing system of Old Faithful's geyser can reach temperatures over 400°F. Geysers and other thermal features are indicators of the park's active volcanic activity beneath its surface.
An investigation is underway after the first reported thermal injury at the park this year occurred on Monday, according to the NPS. No additional details were disclosed.
In July 2022, a 70-year-old man from Los Angeles died in an unwitnessed incident at a hot spring in the West Thumb Geyser Basin. Weeks later, his shoe was found floating in a hot spring.
In June 2016, an Oregon man met his demise after slipping and falling into a scalding hot spring while searching for a spot to "hot pot," a prohibited practice of immersing oneself in a park's thermal features.
In 2023, over 4.5 million people visited Yellowstone National Park, renowned for its diverse wildlife, stunning scenery, geysers, and hot springs.
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