Yellowstone Visitors Lose Thousands Of Items Yearly, Hats Top The List

It's everyone's favorite time of the year, the annual look at what people have lost in Yellowstone. We've discovered in the past that hats are the most common item lost. Obviously, with Wyoming's legendary wind, it's only a matter of time before your hat gets blown into an area you can't reach to retrieve it.

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would say that the wind and the park's gift shop are in cahoots on the deal. I mean, it could happen, right?

Think about it.

A family all wearing their hats to keep the sun out of their eyes and off their necks, and a gust of wind blows all of their hats into a geothermal pool. They can't go get them, and they need sun protection, so back into the gift shop they go for another round of souvenir hats.

I know it's a stretch, but it's fun to think about.

On this year's episode, there are quite a few odd items other than hats, but again hats were the number one item.

According to Yellowstone National Park's Geology team, which collects items from the hydrothermal areas, they collected 280 hats.

It seems that tourists are using the hot springs as wishing wells, because they collected $18.00 worth of coins from all around the world throughout the area.

They found lots of hair ties, camera lens covers, baby binkies, key cards, and pairs of sunglasses. They also found some rather interesting items that left the team confused.

• An UNO card
• Golf Tees
• Invisalign Teeth Aligners
• Airpods
• Polaroid Pictures
• Kids Sand Shovels
• Matchbox Cars
• Rubber Ducks
• SIM Cards
• One Snow Shoe

The team recommends that if you're in the geothermal areas, you use common sense and secure your items.

make sure to “stash your trash”—put wrappers, tissues, and other easily windblown items deep in your pockets, a bag, or, even better, a trash can! If you’re adventuring in a windy area, consider tightening or taking off your hat. And remember, trails and boardwalks keep you safe, so stay on the path!

You can check out the lost-and-found items in the Facebook post below.