Some park visitors are treating Yellowstone like a theme park — and it's putting more than just their reputation at risk.

A popular Instagram post from TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) shows a tourist family in Yellowstone National Park riding electric scooters down the iconic Old Faithful boardwalk — an area clearly marked with signs prohibiting motorized vehicles.

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The short video captures the unmistakable sound of scooter wheels bumping over the wooden planks as a young girl cruises along, with photos showing at least four scooters parked nearby.

While the moment might seem harmless, there's a serious reason these rules exist. Motorized vehicles can disrupt both the experience for others and the wildlife in the area. Yellowstone's boardwalks wind through habitats home to bison, elk, bears, and more — animals that can become agitated by unfamiliar sounds or fast-moving objects.

Bison injure more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, with incidents spiking during the busy summer months as crowds grow and more visitors ignore posted guidance. These encounters can have tragic outcomes for both people and animals.

And when a wild animal injures a human, even after being provoked, it's often the animal that pays the price. When officials perceive an animal as a future threat, they may decide to euthanize it.

The scooters also create obstacles for other park-goers who follow the rules — especially families with strollers, older visitors, and those with mobility aids who rely on the narrow boardwalks being clear and safe.

Commenters were quick to express frustration.

"What about the safety of others? Whatever happened to walking for exercise?" one wrote.

Another said, "It's getting worse by the year .. seeing more rule breakers than the wildlife."

Do you think e-scooters are a useful mode of transportation? Definitely 👍 Not at all 👎 Depends on the place 🌆 Depends on the person 🏃 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Yellowstone isn't just a vacation spot; it's a living ecosystem that deserves respect. It's not a ride or a backdrop. When visitors treat it like an amusement park, they risk harming the very things that make it special.

Choosing to follow the posted guidance isn't just courteous — it helps protect one of the last truly wild places in the country.

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