A 60-year-old woman from New Hampshire suffered second- and third-degree burns on one of her legs while walking off-trail in a thermal area near the Mallard Lake Trailhead at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.
A park release said the unidentified woman, from Windsor, New Hampshire, was walking with her husband and their dog on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust and was burned by scalding water. The husband and dog were uninjured.
While the woman went to a park medical clinic to be evaluated, she was later flown by helicopter to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls for further treatment.
Park officials remind visitors to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas, as the ground in these areas is fragile and thin, often with scalding water just beneath the surface. Pets also are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the park’s backcountry, and in thermal areas.
The matter remained under investigation Wednesday.
