Depends on the park - at Yellowstone in particular, going off trail in thermal areas is forbidden, both because it's super damaging to the environment and very dangerous to the hiker - people have died falling through thin ground into boiling hot pools.
Most other parks are more laid-back if you're away from the super high traffic areas. In Yosemite, there are 'we won't recover your body if you're dumb enough to go here' areas, but very little is actually forbidden.
Scaaaary_Ghost1 karma
Depends on the park - at Yellowstone in particular, going off trail in thermal areas is forbidden, both because it's super damaging to the environment and very dangerous to the hiker - people have died falling through thin ground into boiling hot pools.
Most other parks are more laid-back if you're away from the super high traffic areas. In Yosemite, there are 'we won't recover your body if you're dumb enough to go here' areas, but very little is actually forbidden.
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