The recent National Park System budget cuts and layoffs have sparked a wide range of responses, from a national day of protests to a series of opinionated billboards erected across the country. And now, there’s another, albeit slightly unorthodox approach: a TikTok account making thirst traps of Yellowstone National Park.
For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a thirst trap is a social media post meant to attract attention because it’s, well, sexy.
No, you don’t need to schedule an optometrist appointment–you read that correctly. A TikTok creator has begun impersonating Yellowstone National Park with the handle @visit.yellowstone, but with a raunchy twist. The account’s videos splice together footage of male entertainers with shots of the park’s natural landscapes, typically set to provocative music. And it could be working: The account has racked up 1 million followers and 7 million likes in a matter of months.
@visit.yellowstone Mammoth Hot Springs is a large complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park adjacent to Fort Yellowstone @Johnathon Caine #stitch #booktok #darkromance #masktok #fantasy #momsover30 ♬ original sound – Yellowstone National Park
Outside reached out to the creator of the fake Yellowstone account, and the person agreed to answer our questions, so long as we would not share their identity. They said the page is meant to encourage people to visit the park.
“The original account was created as a joke by several friends, and we were the original creators involved,” they said in a direct message. The @visitmtrainier account was the first account to officially launch, and @mt.hood.adventure followed shortly after. The fake Yellowstone account was ultimately created to support the Mt. Hood account in a friendly comment war. The three parody accounts continued to engage in a lighthearted—but yes, sexy—social media fight.
Then @visit.yellowstone unexpectedly went viral. Thanks to its success, others creators have launched similar accounts in its wake, including @visit.yosemite, the @smoky.mountain.alliance, and more.
“Once it started to gain traction and grow, we tried to shift the focus toward raising social awareness, particularly about the defunding and conservation issues related to logging,” the creator said.
@mt.hood.adventure Replying to @Atrox have a happy Friday! #pnw #parktok #mountains #mountaintok #mthood #oregon #teamhood #volcano ♬ All The Things She Said – t.A.T.u.
The account’s creator explained that they took this approach because they “felt that content related to the mountain community was becoming stale.” They added that they “wanted to differentiate [themselves] to see if it would yield any positive results. Obviously, it did, and it seems to be working.”
Yellowstone National Park’s public information office is aware of the @visit.yellowstone TikTok account and stressed that the park is not in any way involved with the creation of the videos. “Yellowstone National Park does not have a TikTok account, and we are not affiliated with any TikTok accounts that you see online,” a park representative told Outside. That said, other parks haven’t shied from riffing on the theme. Recently, Death Valley National Park shared an Instagram post on its verified account calling Death Valley the original “thirst trap.”
As for the adult entertainers featured in the posts? They also appear to be unaffiliated with @visit.yellowstone’s thirst trap campaign. One of them, Jonathon Walton, a full-time social media creator whose footage has been featured in a number of viral videos, released a statement on his page saying he was surprised to find his image used to promote national parks. He also told Outside that he’s not upset about the development. “I’m just very thankful my videos have helped to bring attention to the parks,” he said. “That’s what’s important here. Directing attention to the parks so we can continue to preserve them amidst the funding cuts.”
@visit.yellowstone Within Yellowstone’s 2.2 million acres, visitors have unparalleled opportunities to observe wildlife in an intact ecosystem, and explore geothermal areas @Johnathon Caine #stitch #booktok #darkromance #masktok #fantasy #momsover30 #fyp ♬ original sound – Yellowstone National Park
Walton added that he was fly fishing in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains when he found out that his photo was being used. He told Outside that he is a fan of the national parks. “Being outdoors keeps me grounded so I can continue to do what I do online daily,” he said. “Helping to maintain the health and balance of ecosystems is very sexy. In a time where most of what we consume as humans is manmade, being out in nature helps us reconnect with ourselves, and that’s not only important but also very attractive.”
Walton said the viral page has resulted in an immediate influx of followers across his social accounts and numerous DM’s calling him “the national park zaddy.”
The @visit.yellowstone TikTok creator has no plans to stop the campaign anytime soon. “We genuinely believe we can help bring attention to these issues, and we’re gaining support within our park’s community,” they told Outside. “That said, we are firmly against any part of the parks being sold off or privatized. We also strongly support the restoration of jobs and raises for park rangers and firefighters. This not only applies to the parks but also to the public lands and forests.”
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