Yellowstone workers pull record amount of junk from hot springs

By Dean Murray

Geologists at Yellowstone National Park have pulled more than 280 lost hats from the famous hot springs.

Other items include 54 camera lens caps, 20 hotel key cards, five AirPods, 36 pairs of sunglasses and two small Jesus figurines.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said on Monday (Sept. 14) that, as of early September 2026, Yellowstone's geology team has removed more than 20,100 pieces of trash and 5,600 rocks and sticks from hydrothermal areas around the park in a record-setting year.

The park receives more than 4.5 million visitors every year, and staff have to work constantly to remove litter from the park's hydrothermal areas.

The USGS said that over the decades, staff have employed many methods for removing visitor debris from hydrothermal features, going so far as to partly drain Morning Glory, the famous, colorful hot spring, to make it easier to pull out foreign objects.

They said: "Today, the park's Geology Program staff, trained in safe hydrothermal navigation, do the bulk of this removal work, roving the park's hydrothermal areas to take out trash, hats, rocks, sticks, and anything else that doesn't belong—all in addition to their other work of chemical and temperature monitoring, hydrothermal area incident assessment, and public education!"

The USGS added that no matter the type of debris, it needs to be removed, and after the 2026 season is over, any rewearable hats will be washed and donated to local organizations.

They add: "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.

"If you're traveling through Yellowstone National Park, especially in hydrothermal areas, make sure to "stash your trash". If you're adventuring in a windy area, consider tightening or taking off your hat."

Items recovered by workers so far in 2026:

Hats — 280+

Coins (U.S. coins, pesos, yen, euros, Canadian dollars) — $18+

AirPods — 5

Delta flight pins — 3

Golf tees — 3

Camera lens caps — 54

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Hair ties — 47

Binkies/pacifiers — 17

Hotel key cards — 20

Pencils — 42

Sunglasses — 36

Invisalign retainers — 6

Fake nails — 15

Mini race cars — 8

Bouncy balls — 3

Assorted figurines — 22

Junior Ranger badges — 6

Instant/Polaroid pictures — 7

Yellowstone pressed pennies — 6

Pokemon cards and figurines — 4

Copy of "The Vampire Diaries" — 1

Inhaler — 1

Uno card — 1

Glittery pink children's slime — 1

Rainbow tie-dye fidget spinner — 1

Rubber ducks — 2

McDonald's toy from 2010 — 1

Rocks and sticks — 5,600

Trash — 20,100+