Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming — A New Hampshire woman suffered serious burns to her legs after falling into hot springs near Old Faithful Geyser while hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park, park officials said.
A 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower legs when a thin layer of crust broke off into the water while she was walking with her husband and a leashed dog on a designated trail near the Mullard Lake Trailhead Monday afternoon, park officials said. Her husband and dog were not injured.
The woman was transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho, for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are warned to stay on trails and paths in the hydrothermal area and to use extreme caution. Park officials say the ground in the area is soft and thin, and there is boiling water just below the surface.
Pets are allowed only in limited developed areas of Yellowstone Park, but are prohibited on trails, hiking trails, backcountry, and hot spring areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name has not been released.
Park officials said in a statement that it was the first heatwave incident in Yellowstone since 2024. The park had seen 3.5 million visitors through August of this year.
According to the National Park Service, more people have been injured or killed by hot springs in Yellowstone National Park than by any other natural feature. Since 1890, at least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park, officials said.
