Yellowstone Tourist Sentenced to Jail for 'Dangerous' Stunt

A potentially fatal action at Yellowstone National Park earlier this month led to a jail sentence for one visitor. It all happened at one of the world's most impressive geothermal sites. 

According to the National Park Service, 21-year-old Viktor Pyshniuk was sentenced to seven days in jail for trespassing at the famous Steamboat Geyser in Yellowstone's Norris Geyser Basin. He also was placed on two years of unsupervised released and ordered to pay a $1,500 fine, $30 court processing fee, and $20 special assessment. And he won't be returning to the scene of the crime anytime soon, as he's been banned from Yellowstone National Park for two years. 

Steamboat Geyser is not exactly a safe playground for humans. It's the world's tallest active geyser and is notably the most dangerous with unpredictable eruptions that can range from six to 300 feet in height. In recent years, the intervals between eruptions have been anywhere from three to 89 days. 

Pyshniuk was caught on camera by a park employee as he walked off the designated boardwalk and approached the geyser. He "had clearly crossed over the fence and was walking up the hillside within 15 [to] 20 feet of Steamboat Geyser’s steam vent," the NPS said in a statement. 

Apparently, the offender had to be told what he was doing was against the law. 

"When contacted, Pyshniuk told the officer he left the boardwalk to take photos. While speaking with Pyshniuk, the officer showed him the signs posted throughout the area stating it is illegal to leave the boardwalk and explained that walking in a thermal area is very dangerous due to possible weak ground layer, the geothermal features of mud pots, heated steam and water, and all other dangers associated with walking in a heated, unpredictable geothermal area," the NPS said. 

The judge presiding over his case explained during sentencing that his punishment was meant not just to deter him specifically but to send a warning to the public that they shouldn't leave the observation boardwalk in the area. "She expressed her concern that the defendant’s actions were seen by the people around him, and they might have thought it was okay to do the same thing. And if every visitor to [Yellowstone] disobeyed the rules, the park would be destroyed, and no one would be able to enjoy it," the agency said.

Acting U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann voiced a similar concern. 

"Trespassing in closed, thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park is dangerous and harms the natural resource," he said. "In cases like this one where we have strong evidence showing a person has willfully disregarded signs and entered a closed, thermal area, federal prosecutors will seek significant penalties, including jail time."

If you're lucky enough to see this natural beauty in person, just admire it from a distance.