Record 20,000-Plus Pieces of Debris Pulled From Yellowstone’s Thermal Areas This Year

Yellowstone rangers remove 20,100 pieces of trash from geothermal areas in 2026, including more than 5,000 rocks and sticks, 280 visitor hats and over $18 in coins

Yellowstone rangers removed more than 20,100 pieces of trash from geothermal areas in 2026, along with over 5,000 rocks and sticks and 280 visitor hats. Staff also collected coins worth more than $18. Among the unusual finds were AirPods, golf tees, an inhaler, Invisalign retainers, fake nails and children’s toys.

Record 20,000-plus pieces of debris pulled from Yellowstone’s thermal areas this year

Yellowstone National Park crews have removed more than 20,000 pieces of trash and lost items from the park’s fragile thermal areas this year, including hundreds of hats and coins.

Yellowstone rangers clean 20K pieces of trash from the park. The most common find is something visitors hate to lose

From claw clips to camera lens caps, the thousands of trash items reveal a lot about national park visitors.

Yellowstone rangers remove 20,100 pieces of trash from geothermal areas in 2026, including more than 5,000 rocks and sticks, 280 visitor hats and over $18 in coins - THE LOCAL REPORT ARTICLES

Yellowstone rangers uncover 20,100 pieces of trash in geothermal areas. (Photo: NPS) Cleaning up litter may be one of the less glamorous parts of working as a national park ranger, but at Yellowstone National Park, the job is particularly important because trash can pose a serious threat to the park’s geothermal features.With more than 4.5 ...