Yellowstone National Park is riddled with constantly changing geothermal hot spots — it’s part of the reason for the park’s famous geysers. But this past Thursday, the area around one section of road got so hot that asphalt literally started melting.
The soupy mess of a road forced park officials to close off access to some of the park’s biggest tourist attractions. What’s more, visitors have been warned against even attempting to hike in the area — the spiking temperatures have created hidden pockets of boiling hot water.
While this isn’t the first time one of Yellowstone’s roads has been damaged by the park’s curious geological phenomena, the damage to Firehole Lake Drive is nearly unprecedented and could take quite a few days to fix. Of course, the unusually warm summer the park’s been having doesn’t help much either. But hey — at least the road is living up to its name. [AP/NY Post]
Image via AP