A 60-year-old woman is recovering in the hospital after being badly scalding by boiling thermal water in Yellowstone National Park.
Park officials say a woman visiting Yellowstone National Park from Windsor, New Hampshire, reportedly suffered second and third-degree burns to her lower leg while walking in a thermal area near Mallard Lake Trailhead at Old Faithful.
The woman 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.
Park officials are reminding visitors 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 is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024.
