Partial Foot Found in Thermal Pool in Yellowstone National Park
A part of foot in a shoe was found by an employee in a thermal pool in Yellowstone National Park this week, according to a statement from Morgan Warthin, Public Affairs Officer for Yellowstone National Park:
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, an employee found part of a foot in a shoe floating in Abyss Pool, located in the West Thumb Geyser Basin in the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. An investigation is underway.
Since the discovery, rangers have reopened to visitors the temporarily closed West Thumb Geyser Basin and parking lot.
Abyss Pool has a depth of more than 50 feet and is one of the deepest hot springs in the park. Its temperature is approximately 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).
The park does not have any other details to share about this incident currently. We will provide additional information to the public in the next few days.
With the tourist season getting ready to wrap up for the year this has been an incredibly difficult time for Yellowstone National Park with the floods and the road closures that happened earlier this year. As Yellowstone National Park works to rebuild, it is going to take some time, possibly years before they are back to where there have been in the past. An update from the Yellowstone National Park Public Affairs Office:
- Visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas and exercise extreme caution around thermal features. The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface. Learn more about safety in thermal areas at go.nps.gov/yellsafety.
- There are no photos of this incident. Photos of West Thumb Geyser Basin can be found on Yellowstone’s Flickr.
- The park has no additional information to share.
- Additional InformationKnown Recent Thermal Injuries in Yellowstone
- Oct. 5, 2021, news release: A 20-year-old woman from Washington suffered significant thermal burns when rescuing her dog from Maiden’s Grave Spring in the vicinity of Fountain Flat Drive south of Madison Junction. The dog passed away, and the woman was transported to the burn center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
- Sept. 16, 2021, news release: A 19-year-old woman from Rhode Island suffered thermal burns in the Old Faithful area.
Known Recent Thermal Fatalities in Yellowstone- June 8, 2016, news release: A man in his early 20’s walked off the designated boardwalk, slipped, and fell into a hot spring at the Norris Geyser Basin.
- August 2000: One person died from falling into a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin.