Stupid Tourist Tricks

[Fish]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

So yellowstone folks - educate me here.

I presume the reason we do not walk on the spring is because it would interfere with the algae blooms that give the spring its color?

I mean, to me it looks like a fairly benign, if hot, body of water that probably isn't going to be badly disturbed by human presence. At least not any more so than countless other natural features in the nation that we allow people to go traipsing about. I think of Yosemite in particular as a place just full of stuff where people are allowed to go just about anywhere that won't kill them (and sometimes places that will).

Algae blooms are pretty much impossible to really damage so long as the nutrients that feed them remain in the water. Seeing as how those nutrients are likely coming from deep within the earth, i figure we can't do much to disturb that.

I'm sure I'm incredibly wrong here, I'm just curious as to why I'm wrong and what it is I don't understand.

I thought that it was the danger due to the ground being so fragile and unstable around the springs. People think the ground is firm, but break through the crust into the hot water below like a layer of thin ice.