A man was caught on camera this week strolling right up to Yellowstone National Park's most famous geyser. People travel from all over the world to see Old Faithful, which is one of just six geysers in the park that predictably erupt, but it seems this visitor wanted a better view than he could get from the boardwalk.
The incident, which you can watch below, was recorded by Nicolas Chevalier, and shared on Instagram account TouronsOfYellowstone, which highlights examples of bad behavior at US National Parks and other sites of natural beauty. Other incidents have included visitors dabbling their fingers in thermal pools (with predictable results) and hitting golf balls into the Grand Canyon.
Despite the noise of the wind, other visitors can be heard panicking and shouting at the man to turn back. Thankfully he was uninjured, and was soon escorted to safety by Park Rangers.
The geothermal features, including geysers, springs and pools, are one of the main reasons Yellowstone National Park was created, and they remain some of its greatest attractions. A system of trails and boardwalks helps keep visitors at a safe distance and off the sometimes fragile ground, and there are purpose-made viewing areas designed to give an excellent view of Old Faithful when it erupts (which happens about 20 times a day).
If you can't make it to Yellowstone yourself, the National Park Service (NPS) has a live webcam of Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin.
Staying safe
The NPS warns visitors to always stick to boardwalks and designated trails in geothermal areas, and never touch the thermal features or runoff. People have died after entering pools that were much hotter than expected, including one man who was killed in 2016 after falling in the park's hottest pool, the Norris Geyser Basin.
Twenty-three year old Colin Scott died almost immediately, but bad weather meant he couldn't be recovered until the following day, but which time the scalding, acidic water had totally dissolved his body.
It's also important to remember that toxic gases can accumulate in geyser basins, If you start to feel unwell near one, you should leave immediately.
