'Idiot' tourist risks jail by walking on Yellowstone National Park forbidden zone

A tourist has sparked outrage and been branded an 'idiot' after trampling over a forbidden area in a Yellowstone National Park.

Photos showed the man 'illegally and repeatedly' walking over a delicate ecosystem in his flip-flops, having left the designated walkway. He appeared to be picking up hats that had blown into the protected off-limits zone, located near the park's Grand Prismatic Spring.

The area is home to bacterial mats - dense, multi-layered sheets of microorganisms, primarily bacteria, that grow on moist surfaces. It comes after a woman, 20, was found dead on bus with 26 iPhones glued to her body.

The delicate living organisms - known as 'thermophiles - give the landscape its signature colourful appearance, and they grow and thrive in the intense heat of the park;s thermal basin. The organisms are some of the oldest and most resilient ecosystems on Earth, dating back over 3.5 billion years, and they are incredibly sensitive to outside disturbances.

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Walking over the mats is known as 'Thermal trespassing' and is punishable by fines, park bans, and even jail time.

The incident took place at the end of July near the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - the largest hot spring in the US, and the third largest in the world.

The man's actions were shared online by a fellow park visitor, who uploaded a series of photos to a Facebook group called Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of the Idiots.

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People were quick to slam his behaviour, with one commenting: "Special kind of stupid right there." A second agreed, describing the act as "brainless", while a third added: "Some people just have NO common sense."

Another suggested: "My guess is he thinks he was doing a good thing by removing them and gave no thought to the damage or danger. Some people just have NO common sense."

And one person stated: "Ban him from all National Parks for life. He can't read or follow directions and obviously has no regard for the importance and fragility of the area."

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It comes after a Yellowstone tourist was sentenced to time in jail for 'Thermal Trespass' in 2024. Viktor Pyshniuk, 21, was sentenced to a week in jail and banned from the park for two years after a park employee saw him walk off a path near Steamboat Geyser.

It is the world's tallest active geyser and known for its major eruptions, which can shoot hot water over 300 feet (91 meters) into the air.

At Yellowstone, there are more than 15 miles of boardwalks to protect both the environment and tourists there to see the park’s thermal features, such as geysers, hot springs and mudpots.

These thermal features are unpredictable and can be dangerous, causing more injuries and deaths than encounters with wildlife.