20,000 items of trash removed from Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs – including 280 hats and a slew of Pokemon cards
Por Graig Graziosi — – World RSS Feed
20,000 items of trash removed from Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs – including 280 hats and a slew of Pokemon cards
The geology team advises that visitors ‘stash your trash’ before visiting the hydrothermal features of Yellowstone National Park
Graig Graziosi in Washington, D.C. Tuesday 15 September 2026 17:13 BST
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Most thoughtful hikers and campers operate under the “leave no trace” principle — the wilderness should bear no mark of your visit.
Unfortunately, many people aren’t thoughtful hikers and campers, so America’s wild places — like Yellowstone National Park — end up filled with the junk left behind by tourists.
According to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, 2026 has been a record-setting year for trash removals in the park’s hydrothermal areas. It noted that, as of September, its geology team has removed more than 20,100 pieces of trash, 5,600 rocks and sticks, and more than 280 hats from the areas, according to ABC 4.
It’s not just hats and sticks either. The team said they’ve recovered camera lens, jewelry, baby pacifiers, and even Pokemon cards out among the geysers and hot springs.
When a tourist loses an item in the hot springs area, it can often be extremely dangerous for them to attempt to retrieve it if its fallen off the trail. Anyone wandering off the marked trail not only risks damaging the local ecosystem but also breaking through the thin crust and taking a likely fatal plunge into water boiling between 200 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
open image in galleryWorkers at the park have to remove the trash periodically to protect the longevity of the park.
“Foreign material of any kind can damage or permanently alter a hydrothermal feature, whether from clogging its water supply, blocking or diverting its runoff channel, or polluting it with chemicals and sediment. Morning Glory Pool, in Upper Geyser Basin, famously changed its color in the twentieth century as a result of trash and items thrown in by visitors,” park officials explained to ABC 4 Utah.
In previous years the geology team has partially drained the Morning Glory Pool to collect trash. Now, the park’s geology team is trained in “safe hydrothermal navigation” and handles most of the clean-up.
Rather than taking the lost items and throwing them in a dumpster, the geology team said they try to repurpose what they reasonably can. For example, the team said Yellowstone will wash the hats they’ve collected and donate any that can still be worn to local organizations at the end of the season.
It’s unclear how things like coins and jewelry end up in the hot springs, but the geology team has a theory.
“Contrary to (apparently) popular belief, hot springs are not wishing wells!” it wrote.
It’s unclear what the park will do with the recovered coins and jewelry. They’ve collected $18 in lost change and paper money this year.
open image in galleryIt’s not all hats and cash though. The team has also found some gross items in the pools. Somehow, six people have lost their Invaslign retainers in the hot springs. Others have lost things like fake nails, floss picks, and even an inhaler.
And, of course, no story about people losing items would be complete without mentioning Apple AirPods. The park’s geology team has thus far recovered five AirPods, which suggests one more may still be missing in action.
The team compiled a list of its favorite finds during its trash picking excursions.
“Geology staff highlights include seven instant/Polaroid pictures (including several depicting the hydrothermal features they were found in!), the six Yellowstone pressed pennies, four Pokemon cards and figurines, and a tiny (2-inch) copy of The Vampire Diaries!” the team wrote.
The team is advising that visitors to Yellowstone “stash your trash” and make sure anything that you could feasibly drop or have blown away by the wind is kept secured before your visit to the hot springs and geysers.
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