A Yellowstone National Park ranger was photographed scrubbing a smiley face, the word “hi,” and other marks from a thermal feature near Old Faithful, according to social-media imagery and two reports published in 2024 and 2025. The visitor, the substance used, and any official punishment have not been established in the available accounts.
What the reports say happened
An Instagram carousel shared by TouronsOfYellowstone and credited to photographer Amandine Cléry showed a National Park Service ranger kneeling on a boardwalk and trying to clean drawings from a pool near Old Faithful. The October 20, 2024 account described a visible smiling face, “hi,” and additional scribbling. A matching report published by Indian Defence Review on April 7, 2025 said a tourist allegedly used an unknown material on a natural surface and that the image circulated widely, prompting criticism.
Those descriptions establish a reported act of marking near Old Faithful, not a confirmed account of who did it or what happened afterward. Neither report identifies the visitor, names the material, states that anyone was arrested or fined, or documents a court case. They also do not establish permanent damage to Old Faithful itself.
Did a ranger really clean the feature?
The photograph and the two secondary reports support that a ranger was attempting to remove the visible marks. They do not show the full cleanup, identify the exact thermal feature, or provide an official National Park Service incident report. The social-media caption is the photographer’s description, not an NPS statement.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →That distinction matters because cleaning a surface near a geyser can require care: scraping, brushing or introducing cleaning chemicals could harm fragile mineral deposits or alter water flow. The available reports do not say what method the ranger used or whether the marks were completely removed.
What penalties can apply in Yellowstone?
The Old Faithful drawing reports do not establish a legal outcome. A separate, officially documented case shows how seriously Yellowstone treats interference with thermal features.
| Case | Conduct | Documented response | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported marking near Old Faithful (2024–2025 coverage) | Writing or drawing a smiley face, “hi,” and other marks on or near a thermal feature; material and exact surface not established | Ranger photographed attempting to clean the marks; no confirmed arrest, fine or other disposition in the reports | Social-media image and secondary reporting |
| Old Faithful cone thermal-trespass case (September 10, 2019) | Two people walked on Old Faithful’s cone | Each received 10 days in jail, $540 restitution, five years of unsupervised probation and a five-year Yellowstone ban | National Park Service release |
In the 2019 case, Chief Ranger Sarah Davis said thermal trespass is dangerous, damages the resource and is illegal. The sentence in that case should not be treated as an automatic penalty for every type of marking or debris offense; charges and outcomes depend on the conduct and evidence.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why Yellowstone’s hot springs and geysers are unusually fragile
Yellowstone’s hydrothermal ground can be thin, unstable and dangerously hot, with scalding water just below the surface. The National Park Service directs visitors to remain on boardwalks because the crust can break and because stepping off-route can damage the plumbing that feeds a feature.
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Small objects can have consequences far beyond their size:
- Minute Geyser: The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory says it stopped erupting in 1947 after a rock became lodged in its vent.
- Morning Glory Pool: More than 6,574 coins have been removed. The USGS says debris probably contributed to cooling and color changes, and that removing obstructions helped restore water flow.
- Spring near the Grand Prismatic overlook: During summer 2025 remediation, crews removed more than 6,000 items, mostly rocks, sticks and pieces of asphalt. Afterward, water flow and temperature increased, indicating that debris had been blocking the vent.
- Scale of the system: Yellowstone contains more than 10,000 hydrothermal features, so repeated small acts can accumulate across many sites.
These examples come from a Yellowstone Volcano Observatory/USGS article dated March 16, 2026. They document physical effects from objects entering or obstructing features; they do not prove that the reported “hi” drawing caused a measurable change to Old Faithful.
Quick Recap
What visitors should do around thermal features
- Stay on the boardwalk or designated trail. Do not step onto a cone, crust or other restricted surface, even for a photograph.
- Keep every object out of the water and vents. Leave rocks, sticks, coins, food, trash and asphalt where they are.
- Do not write, scratch or apply substances. A mark that looks superficial can require intervention on a delicate mineral surface, and the substance may be unknown or harmful.
- Follow ranger instructions immediately. Closures and detours protect both visitors and the hydrothermal system.
- Report damage rather than attempting a cleanup. Tell a ranger what you saw, where and when; do not touch the feature or use a cleaning product yourself.
What is—and is not—confirmed about this incident
- Reported: Drawings resembling a smiley face and the word “hi” appeared near Old Faithful, and a ranger was photographed trying to clean them.
- Not established: The visitor’s identity, the material used, the exact feature, the extent of any physical damage, an arrest, a fine, a ban or a court disposition.
- Officially documented context: Yellowstone prohibits thermal trespass, and courts have imposed jail, restitution, probation and park bans in a separate Old Faithful case.
- Documented environmental lesson: Rocks, coins and other debris have blocked vents, changed pool conditions and required substantial remediation elsewhere in Yellowstone.
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