Are You a Tourist or a Touron?

First of all, let’s talk about the definition of these two words:

tourist (toor-ist) — n
1. a. a person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels
b. ( as modifier ): tourist attractions
2. a person on an excursion or sightseeing tour
3. a person who is polite and respectful and is in no way annoying

touron (toor-on) n.
tourist moron. : Another touron tried to take a bath in a hot spring this morning.

(I found this definition on dictionary.com and had to laugh because the definition was PERFECT for this blog post!)

Yellowstone is full of both kinds of people:

There are lots of people/visitors/tourists who are there to enjoy the beauty of the landscape; to relish in the splendor of the wildlife; and to sit in awe of the dazzling displays of the geyser basins. They prefer the quiet reflection that comes from sitting alongside a mountain stream with mountain bluebirds dancing in the skies above them and the long meadow grasses whispering softly in the breeze.

Then there’s the other group of people, the TOURONS, who think it’s fun to get up close to see if they can pet a bison; people who want to see if a bear’s teeth really are sharp; or who want to test the thickness of the crust around a geyser or a mud pot. They run about YNP in a frenetic pace, trying to do/see/experience everything the Park has to offer –in the short amount of time they are there – without thinking twice about how their actions may impact the landscape, the animals and the other people who are visiting.

Luckily the NPS and YNP have put lots of signs up to help guide the tourons in using proper YNP etiquette:

PLEASE don’t throw coins into the pools.
Your wishes won’t come true.
I promise.
But I do promise that your coins will destroy the geyser and
alter the landscape forever.

This poor Ranger in the West Thumb area had to rig a slotted spoon
to the end of a long extended handle
so he could fish pennies out of this cone.
I’m pretty sure tourists didn’t throw those pennies in!

Do you know that if you leave the trails and boardwalks,
you can break through the ground and fall into boiling hot water?
You’re on vacation.
You don’t really want to be the Soup Du Jour, do you?!?
(Yes! It happens! And people DIE!)

Even small, unassuming signs like this need to be obeyed.
Let the plants and flowers grow!

Speaking of flowers:
Did you know that you’re not supposed to pick the wildflowers
in YNP?
Many of YNP wildflowers are important parts of animal diets…
Most deer, porcupines and squirrels can’t run up the road to the local
McDonald’s to buy their meals. They rely on YOU to leave the flowers
where you found them!

Obeying the following signs can save your life.
Sadly, this summer a man was killed by bear
as he and his wife were hiking through the forest.
If the sign says “closed” and you go beyond it, you might be fine.
But then again, you might not.
Is it worth the risk?

(The man that was killed was hiking in an area that was open for hikers. I don’t want to imply that he and his wife were breaking the rules. I just use him as an example that the animals in YNP are WILD and UNPREDICTABLE and will attack if they feel threatened. This was a terrible tragedy and I offer my sympathy to his wife and family.)


A lot of people think that bison are slow.
Did you know they are the largest land mammal in North America?
Bulls can weigh up to 1800 pounds and cows are slightly trimmer at 1000 pounds.
In spite of how large they are, they are agile and quick
and can run at speeds in excess of 30 mph.

How fast can you run?

Yet, every year many people are injured (gored and trampled) because they get too close.


I took this video recently at an area called Fishing Bridge.
I was stunned when this TOURON walked right up to a bison cow to take a photo.
I think he felt safe because there was a mesh fence between them.
Little does he know that a bison can actually jump a 6 foot tall fence.
He got lucky.
He and his friends walked away.
But I got mad.
(You can tell from the audio.)
There’s never a ranger around when you want them!

So, what are you?
Tourist or Touron?