What is the biggest hazard to visitors in Yellowstone Park?

Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than encounters with wildlife. Boardwalks and trails are there to protect visitors, and off-boardwalk hiking is very dangerous - scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.



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Yellowstone's greatest geological threat isn't a supervolcano. It's a magnitude-7 earthquake. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. – While concerns about a potential eruption of the supervolcano beneath this iconic park may garner the most alarming headlines, a more likely hazard in the coming decades is a large earthquake.

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Drownings have resulted in five known deaths in the park. Looking at all national parks, the survey indicated that falls were by far the most common way to die, accounting for a total of 245 deaths.

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If the Yellowstone supervolcano ever erupted, it would bring about a calamity for most of the United States. The supervolcano would spew deadly volcanic ash for thousands of miles across the entire country.

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The Yellowstone supervolcano last erupted about 640,000 years ago. A sleeping giant is nestled in the western part of the United States. Though it stirs occasionally, it has not risen from slumber in nearly 70,000 years.

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Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature. Keep your children close and don't let them run. Animals that become dependent on human food may become aggressive toward people and have to be killed. Keep all food, garbage, or other smelly items packed away when not in use.

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If you do any hiking or camping in Yellowstone, you SHOULD bring bear spray. Generally, you don't need bear spray when visiting the popular and crowded geyser areas and villages, such as Old Faithful and Canyon Village.

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Yes, guns are permitted in Yellowstone National Park Park visitors are able to openly carry legal handguns, rifles, shotguns and other firearms per a federal law approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in February 2010. Concealed weapons are allowed by state statute.

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Take the Encounter Seriously Bear encounters, however, are still relatively dangerous, as both grizzly and black bears, the two species of bear found in Yellowstone, can act aggressively if they feel threatened.

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Can we survive a Yellowstone eruption? A massive eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano would spread deadly ash for thousands of miles, killing plant life and affecting humans in its path. Humans who were in its path would surely die, but it would not mean the extinction of the entire human race.

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