A man from Washington has been sentenced to seven days in jail, banned from Yellowstone National Park for two years, and ordered to pay $1,550 in fines and fees after he was found guilty of trespassing in one of the park's geothermal areas. According to , a park employee spotted 21-year-old Viktor Pyshniuk was spotted wandering off the boardwalk near Steamboat Geyser, in the Norris Geyser basin. The employee took a photo of Pyshniuk, who had crossed a fence and ignored warning signs to reach the geyser, and called a law enforcement officer.
When he arrived, the officer spoke with Pyshniuk, who said he had left the boardwalk to take photos of the geyser. The officer then pointed out the various signs spread throughout the area, explaining that leaving the boardwalk is both illegal and dangerous. Not only could a person suffer serious burns if they accidentally fall into a thermal pool (in 2016 after he fell into a pool in the Norris Geyser basin), there is only a thin, fragile crust covering the area's scalding hot groundwater.
There is also the danger of hot steam, and the erratic nature of geothermal features. Steamboat is the world's tallest active geyser, and major eruptions are unpredictable. Major eruptions can last just three minutes, or continue for over half an hour, sending steam and debris over 300ft in the air.
So far there have been three major eruptions in 2024, which took place on February 26, April 3, and May 30. Even minor eruptions can reach heights up to 40f.
