A woman will serve a week in jail after walking on the thermal features in Yellowstone.
A 26-year-old Connecticut woman received seven days in jail and a temporary ban from visiting Yellowstone National Park after tourists took pictures and video of her walking in a restricted area of the park, The Associated Press (AP) reported Thursday. (RELATED: Woman Criminally Charged For Taking Pictures Of Bear)
Woman banned from Yellowstone National Park after walking on thermal areas https://t.co/NFbBAajtem
— KTVB.COM (@KTVB) August 26, 2021
The woman was caught walking on thermal features in an area known as the Norris Geyser Basin. Tourists are prohibited from the area due to a history of deaths, including that of a 23-year-old Oregon man who slipped and fell into one of the highly acidic hot springs, AP reported.
The woman pleaded guilty to the ignoring restrictions on August 18. In addition to her jail sentence, the woman received $2,000 in fines as well as two years of unsupervised probation during her ban from Yellowstone, according to the AP.
Prosecutors noted that she was not alone when the violation occurred July 22. They said another person walked off the boardwalk and into the restricted area with her despite the warning signs. The other person has yet to be identified and no additional charges were made, according to the AP.
“Boardwalks in geyser basins protect visitors and delicate thermal formations,” Yellowstone spokesperson Morgan Warthin said in a statement. “The ground is fragile and thin and scalding water just below the surface can cause severe or fatal burns.”