Two sightseers at Yellowstone National Park were recently jailed after breaking the law during their visit, having strayed from designated routes into some of the park’s thermal areas.
According to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming, 44-year-old Angela Flaherty of Seattle, Washington, pled guilty to leaving the designated boardwalk and viewing area around the Old Faithful geyser, one of Yellowstone’s most beloved thermal features.
Flaherty was caught on camera by another visitor straying around 3 meters (10 feet) into the geyser’s cone. Not only was this a public land violation, landing Flaherty a seven-day stint in jail, but it was also not a sensible idea. When Old Faithful erupts, it expels thousands of liters of boiling water, alongside scalding steam. We’ll stay right back, thank you very much.
Yiyang Shen, aged 25, of Doraville, Georgia, also recently wound up with a week-long jail sentence, five years of unsupervised probation, and $1,050 in fines and court costs after he was caught having driven off the designated road, proceeding to park his car in one of Yellowstone’s thermal areas and get out and walk around. Shen also managed to cause damage to park resources.
It’s not just your average Joe that faces punishment for breaking the rules, either. Back in 2023, former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan had to cough up over $1,500 after going off the designated trail at Mammoth Hot Springs, having even posted pictures of his illegal jaunt to his Instagram page.
We don’t like to crush anyone’s spirit of exploration (particularly that of international superspies), but there’s a good reason why the rules here exist, and why people get in so much trouble for breaking them – it might be open to visitors, but a trip to Yellowstone National Park can still come with risks. The features that make it so popular can be both dangerous and unpredictable.
Just last year, a surprise eruption at Biscuit Basin sent visitors fleeing after the geyser spat out a bunch of debris, some of which weighed hundreds of pounds. No one was hurt, but there was significant damage to the surrounding boardwalks, and the area remains closed even nearly a year later.
Of course, millions of people still visit the park each year and come out very much unscathed. One of the main reasons for that is because of the rules about where tourists can and can’t go, which help to keep everyone as safe as possible while still getting to enjoy some of the best that Yellowstone has to offer.
After all, no one wants to end up toasted, or as an ingredient in the forbidden soup.
Source Link: Tourists Sent To Jail After Straying Off-Path At Yellowstone National Park
