Tourist goes too close to Yellowstone’s Old Faithful — and gets jail, feds say

A tourist ventured too close to one of the most iconic geysers in Yellowstone National Park, and part of her illegal excursion was caught on video, federal officials said.

The 44-year-old tourist from Seattle left the boardwalk and viewing area around Old Faithful and walked about 10 feet onto the geyser’s cone, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming said in a news release.

Another park visitor recorded some of her conduct, officials said.

She pleaded guilty to violating a state statute requiring “all foot travel in thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park (to) be confined to marked trails or boardwalks” and was sentenced to seven days in jail, officials said. She also had to pay $40 in court fees.

Walking on thermal grounds in the park “can be extremely dangerous,” The New York Times reported. There is scalding hot water just below the surface of a fragile, thin crust.

“The number one priority is public safety, but natural resources are also important in places like Yellowstone National Park,” Lori Hogan, a public affairs officer with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Wyoming, told the outlet. “More dangerous offenses, like thermal trespass or wildlife disturbance, could potentially lead to jail time, while minor violations might result in fines or warnings. The public should understand the violations and their consequences before visiting.”

Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs

More people have been injured or killed in the park’s hot springs than any other natural feature — in fact, more than 20 people have died from being burned after they intentionally entered or fell into the park’s hot springs, officials said.

In September, a tourist was burned by scalding water when she stepped through the thin crust near Old Faithful, McClatchy News previously reported. She suffered second- and third-degree burns to her leg.

In August 2023, a tourist wandered off-trail into one of the hot springs and burned himself, McClatchy News reported. He was banned from both Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks until a court ruled on the charges.

In June of that year, a tourist dipped the tip of her shoe and fingers into a boiling spring before flinching backward and yelling “it’s very hot,” McClatchy News reported.

In 2022, part of a human foot inside a shoe was spotted floating in one of the park’s deepest hot springs, McClatchy News reported. The foot was later determined to belong to a 70-year-old Los Angeles man named Il Hun Ro, but foul play was not suspected, according to The Associated Press.

In October 2021, a 20-year-old woman was severely burned after she ran into a hot spring to rescue her dog, McClatchy News previously reported. The dog died from its injuries.

The month before, a 19-year-old had third-degree burns over 5% of her body after visiting the Old Faithful geyser.

And in 2016, a man may have dissolved after trying to soak in a thermal area, a practice known as “hot potting.” Workers couldn’t find any remains, and park rangers believe he dissolved in the deadly hot water.