© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Yellowstone Injuries: Slips, Falls Outpace Bear Maulings

grizzly bear, yellowstone
Xinem
/
Flickr Creative Commons

Getting hurt at Yellowstone National Park isn't quite as glamorous as you might think.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports that although the park is full of hazards like bears, bison, scalding water and canyons, visitors are most likely to be injured from mundane accidents like trips, slips and falls.

Bear attacks are dramatic but exceedingly rare. National Park Service statistics put the likelihood being injured by a bear during a visit to Yellowstone at 1 in 2.1 million.

Injuries and deaths caused by the geothermal features are also infrequent. In the park's history, only 20 visitors have died from being boiled by one of Yellowstone's geysers or similar features.

Park officials say falling into the park's Grand Canyon is uncommon, but does happen.

And occasionally, car crashes leave visitors with minor injuries.

 

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.