Frequent finds collected by the Yellowstone national park geology team during the summer season in 2026. Photograph: Margery Price/National Park ServiceView image in fullscreenFrequent finds collected by the Yellowstone national park geology team during the summer season in 2026. Photograph: Margery Price/National Park ServiceHats, pencils and baby pacifiers: Yellowstone staffers retrieve record amount of trash from hot springsThe park is the most highly visited and strong winds make trash problem worse, with gusts blowing away items
Hold on to your hats – Yellowstone national park staffers have removed a record-setting 20,100 pieces of trash from hydrothermal areas around the geyser-filled park so far this year
The most commonly found items include 280 hats, 54 camera lens caps, 47 hair ties, 42 pencils, 36 pairs of sunglasses, 20 hotel key cards and 17 baby pacifiers.
“The issue is made worse by the park’s high winds: unexpected gusts easily blow away tissues, maps, food wrappers, and even heavier items like sunglasses and hats!” Margery Price, a physical science technician with the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program, said in a blog post for the US Geological Survey.
View image in fullscreenHats collected by the Yellowstone national park geology team and other park staff from hydrothermal areas during the summer 2026 season. Photograph: Margery Price/National Park ServiceThat – and park visitors treating the hot springs like wishing wells. The Yellowstone Geology team collected more than $18 in coins during summer 2026, in currencies ranging from the dollar and pesos to yen and euros.
With more than 4.5 million visitors annually, Yellowstone is one of the most highly visited national parks in the United States.
“No matter the type of debris, it needs to be removed. 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,” Price said.
In the 1900s, the park’s Morning Glory Pool famously changed color from all of the trash visitors were leaving in the pool, which was nicknamed “trash can” by the 1950s.
This year, the park’s geological staff retrieved six Invisalign retainers, eight mini race cars, three golf tees, and fifteen fake nails.
While the park’s staff understands that much of that trash gets swept away by accident, they encourage visitors to “stash your trash” when visiting Yellowstone. That is, packing wrappers, tissues and even hats carefully away in windy areas. At the end of the season though, they’ll be sure to wash and donate all of the hats left behind.
