How many people fall into hot springs in Yellowstone?

Over 20 people have died after falling into Yellowstone's hot springs, or after having become severely burned after touching one. The park's hot springs are one of the park's most dangerous features. However, deaths are still an incredibly rare event.



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In October 2021, a 20-year-old woman suffered second-degree burns after she rushed into a hot spring at Yellowstone while trying to rescue her dog. The hot spring that she entered, Maiden's Grave Spring, has an average temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit, per the NPS.

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Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs. More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into one of Yellowstone's hot springs.

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But Yellowstone's thermal features don't flow cold water like you're used to. Don't touch any water in or around thermal features. Never swim, soak, or wade in thermal features. More than 20 people have died from intentionally entering or falling into hot springs.

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This is a remarkable accumulation of buffalo bones on the floor of a hot spring in the River Group of Yellowstone's Lower Geyser Basin. The object at center is the skull of an American buffalo (Bison bison).

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The Abyss Pool has a depth of up to 53 feet, according to the National Park Service. It has a temperature of approximately 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Water in these hot springs can “severely burn” visitors, the service warns on its website.

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Under the seemingly placid waters of Yellowstone Lake lies the collapsed remains of a supervolcano that erupted 640,000 years ago.

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The largest, and one of the most spectacular, springs in the park is the Grand Prismatic Spring. It is 90 meters (300 feet) across and 50 meters (160 feet) deep.

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In 2020, a 3-year-old suffered second-degree burns on the lower body and back, and a tourist who entered the park illegally fell into a thermal feature near Old Faithful.

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