Nobody should disobey the rules in Yellowstone National Park, established to prevent people from putting their lives at risk.
If someone does choose to do anything reckless or life-endangering, they probably shouldn’t post about it on social media.
That’s exactly what Instagram user pickupsports4u did when visiting the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone recently.
In a Tuesday post, he shared a video of himself perched above the 109-foot-tall summit of the Upper Falls, admitting he climbed “off-trail” to do it.
He included the hashtags #UpperFalls #YellowstoneRisk, #CanyonThrills, #WaterfallExtreme, and #OffTrailAdventure.
“Perched at Upper Falls’ roaring 109-foot edge off-trail, my heart pounded with the river,” he wrote. “This risky view rewarded pure adrenaline —Yellowstone’s raw power unleashed. Don’t try this alone!”
“We did not receive a report of this incident, but off-trail travel, which includes climbing, is prohibited in the Canyon area,” Yellowstone National Park spokesperson Linda Veress told Cowboy State Daily.
Stay On Trail
Rock climbing isn’t strictly prohibited in Yellowstone, or any of the national parks, but going off-trail in sensitive areas is. The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is one of those areas.
The exact language of the prohibition can be found in the Yellowstone Superintendent’s Compendium, which is reviewed annually and updated as needed. Yellowstone superintendent Cam Sholly signed off on this year's compendium on Jan. 9.
“Foot travel within Yellowstone Canyon between Chittenden Bridge and Upper Falls is restricted to designated trails and boardwalks due to public safety,” it reads. “Foot travel within the Yellowstone Canyon between Inspiration Point and Silver Cord Cascade is restricted to designated trails and boardwalks.”
That accounts for the entirety of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Because climbing falls under foot travel in this instance, climbing anywhere around Upper Falls is prohibited.
That also means pickupsports4u could be charged and face significant fines or jail time. Park officials weren’t aware of what he did, but now they have indisputable evidence through his Instagram post.
Charged For Climbing For Clout?
Greg Jackson, a former deputy chief for the U.S. Park Service’s Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, reviewed pickupsports4u’s video. After looking up the restrictions in the superintendent’s compendium, charging him seemed fairly straightforward.
“I’d want to know a little bit more about how that person got there, but if it’s designated as a closed area, it’s an obvious crime,” he said.
Jackson went on to say that there could be a case for charging the influencer under Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations regarding parks, forests, and public property.
36 CFR § 2.34 – Disorderly Conduct can be applied to anyone who is “knowingly or recklessly creating a risk” by creating or maintaining a hazardous or physically offensive condition.
Jackson said disorderly conduct could apply to anyone who decides to go off-trail in Yellowstone.
“It’s probably prohibited (to climb above the Upper Falls) because it’s hazardous,” he said. “The problem with stunts like this is it encourages other people to perform stunts like this. In addition to the charge for going off the trail, I’d say they could be charged with creating a hazardous condition under 36 CFR § 2.34.”
Jackson’s opinion hinged on how pickupsports4u didn’t discourage people from following his example. While he said nobody should “try this alone,” his post said, “this risky view rewarded pure adrenaline.”
That could be enough for someone to make a reckless decision that could easily lead to serious injury or death.
“This guy might have incredible skills, and the next person’s down at the bottom of the waterfall,” Jackson said. “That’s creating a hazardous condition.”
Jackson also had questions about posting the act on social media. That could be a violation of the National Park Service’s commercial filming restriction.
When the EXPLORE Act was signed into law, it eliminated permits and fees for commercial and non-commercial filming, still photography, and audio recording involving eight or fewer people.
However, that comes with the stipulation that projects must “occur in areas open to the public” and “do not adversely impact park resources, values, or other visitors.”
Once again, there’s a case to be made that pickupsports4u’s video was in violation of those regulations. It was filmed in a public but inaccessible area that could have impacted the resources around the Upper Falls.
“If you are filming in a closed area without a permit, and you’re doing it to make money off your platform, there may be a commercial filming violation,” Jackson said.
We Can’t Have Nice Things
Julie Argyle, a wildlife photographer and postmaster at Yellowstone’s Lake Village, had strong feelings when she saw pickupsports4u’s video. She said seeing incidents like this on social media is “pretty disheartening.”
“Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something,” she said. “It's about ethics, respecting the park, and respecting the boundaries. They’re there for a reason.”
Last month, two women were seen walking all over on the delicate microbial mats surrounding Grand Prismatic Spring. A man carrying a child was seen doing the same thing in the same place in June.
Argyle knows that signs warning and prohibiting people from exploring certain areas of the park are plentiful, yet she’s seeing more and more people ignoring them at their peril.
Posting about their blatant disregard for park regulations, in her opinion, makes it worse, even if it serves as a reliable form of self-incrimination.
“We see things every day, all day long, of people breaking rules and doing things they shouldn't be doing. To put it on social media, almost encouraging people to do it, is a dangerous situation waiting to happen.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
