Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis reports that considerable resource damage has been done to Lone Star Geyser and the surrounding area after two men illegally entered the area by vehicle and drove around the geyser and surrounding meadows. Lone Star Geyser is located about 5 miles south of the Old Faithful area. A 2.5-mile trail leading to the geyser from the parking area is closed to vehicle traffic but is open to pedestrians and bicyclists. The trail, an old narrow road with a broken asphalt surface, ends at a log barrier approximately 60 yards from Lone Star Geyser.

On Friday evening, October 10, 2003, Adam Ray Elford, 22 years old, of Vancouver, Washington, drove his 2000 4WD Toyota Tacoma around the locked barricade at the parking area and proceeded down the trail to the end of the asphalt. He and his companion then moved the log barrier and drove completely around the cone of the geyser and surrounding meadows until the vehicle became stuck in the soft soil. Once stuck, they set up camp near the geyser, started a fire, and stayed the night.

The following morning, they walked to Old Faithful where they found an unidentified couple in the Old Faithful parking lot who agreed to help them. The couple drove Elford and his companion back to the Lone Star Geyser area, but once the couple realized the gravity of the situation, they refused to help and returned them to Old Faithful. Elford and his companion then went to the Old Faithful Ranger Station to report the incident.

Park rangers immediately responded to Lone Star Geyser with Elford and his friend. Once rangers investigated the scene and made preliminary evaluations of the damage, Elford was taken into custody and transported to the jail in West Yellowstone, Montana. His companion was not arrested but was cited for his part in the damage to park resources.

Elford made his initial appearance before the U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Cole on October 13, 2003, and was charged with operating a vehicle off road; injuring mineral resources; possession of a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle; improper food storage; and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver's license. Judge Cole released Elford on a $5,000 Unsecured Bond. His companion's name will be released after he has made his initial court appearance sometime in the near future.

The park is currently assessing the resource damage done by the two individuals, which appears to be significant. Tire tracks are clearly visible around the geyser and throughout the meadows near the geyser. On behalf of the National Park Service, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, will seek full restitution from the two individuals for all restoration costs.

Thermal features (geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, runoff channels) are extremely fragile and are easily damaged as are the plants and microbial mats in and near them. To protect these fragile features, park regulations state that all visitors must remain on trails and boardwalks. Park regulations do not allow ANY off-road vehicular travel.

Information provided by the NPS

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