On Monday afternoon, September 16, 2024, a woman reported suffered second and third-degree burns to her lower leg in Yellowstone National Park, the park said in a statement.
The 60-year-old woman, who was visiting Yellowstone from Windsor, New Hampshire, sustained the burns while walking in a thermal area near Mallard Lake Trailhead at Old Faithful.
She was walking off-trail with her husband and leashed dog in a thermal area when she broke through a thin crust over scalding water and suffered burns to her leg. The husband and dog were not injured.
The woman and her husband went to a park medical clinic where they were evaluated. The patient was later transported via helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for further treatment.
Visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in these areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface. Learn more about safety in thermal areas.
Pets are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
This incident is under investigation and the park has no additional information to share. It is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024.