An Idaho Falls man has been banned from Yellowstone National Park after park rangers found evidence that he was planning to cook chicken in the hot springs. According to EastIdahoNews.com, park staff came across two whole chickens in a burlap sack and a cooking pot when responding to a report.
This isn’t the first time someone has tried to cook food at Yellowstone. In fact, back in 2001, a television host dug a hole near a geyser to explain how the natural heat is enough to cook chicken. The show was ultimately fined $150 and placed on a two-year probation. These consequences are not necessarily directly related to the cooking, but rather a result of violating the park’s strict rules regarding where people are allowed to walk (which is only using the appropriately marked pathways).
The outcome of the Idaho Falls man and his attempt to cook near a hot spring was similar; he was cited for foot travel in a thermal area and appeared in Mammoth Hot Springs court. Eventually, he was required to pay $600 for each charge and serve a two-year probation. During that probation time, he is banned from Yellowstone National Park.
Traveling off the marked designated trails is prohibited at the national park, as is placing anything into the natural thermal features. Doing so could seriously injure visitors as the Yellowstone website states that hot springs have injured or killed more people than any other natural feature at the park.
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