Updated

Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 22

2 Tourists Walk Across Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring Crust, Risking Fatal Burns

Updated

Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 22

2 Tourists Walk Across Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring Crust, Risking Fatal Burns

Q: After their viral Yellowstone stunt, will two tourists face jail time for damaging a natural wonder?

Possibly, but not yet. Walking on Yellowstone’s thermal features is a federal misdemeanor, and past cases show that jail time is a real possibility. But as of the latest reporting, the two women in the viral Grand Prismatic video had not been publicly identified or charged, so it is unknown whether they personally will face jail. The conduct shown in the video appears to violate Yellowstone’s thermal-area rule, 36 CFR § 7.13(j), which requires visitors to stay on boardwalks and marked trails. Park officials say the ground around hot springs is often a thin crust over scalding water, making the act dangerous as well as illegal. The microbial mats are also part of a fragile ecosystem, and footprints can leave long-lasting or permanent damage. If identified and prosecuted, the women could face penalties that include fines, short jail sentences, and bans from the park. Yellowstone has pursued such cases before. In recent years, thermal-trespass defendants have received punishments including five to 15 days in jail, fines ranging from about $1,500 to $3,000 or more, and multi-year park bans. So the legal risk is serious, and precedent supports possible incarceration. But whether these two tourists will actually go to jail depends on whether investigators identify them and whether federal prosecutors decide to bring charges. At this stage, the strongest answer is that jail time is possible, not confirmed.

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jul 22

Two tourists were filmed Sunday walking across the thin crust and microbial mat of Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring, the park's largest hot spring.
55-year-old Montana tattoo artist Tanya Saueressig recorded the video and said she feared they could break through the fragile surface into scalding water, while also leaving permanent damage to the ecosystem.
Yellowstone said entering thermal features is illegal and that burns from them are a common cause of serious injury and death because hot springs are often covered by thin, breakable crust.
The incident adds to a long pattern of visitor misconduct at Yellowstone; in spring 2025, a bison died after wandering into Grand Prismatic.