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Published 13:03 10 Aug 2026 GMT
A visitor at Yellowstone National Park found out exactly how hot the spring’s steaming waters really are, in the most painful way possible.
Every year, thousands visit the attraction for a number of nature-related reasons, and it's an unspoken rule that you should really be keeping a safe distance from the hydrothermal pool.
Some may even argue that it's common sense, but it didn't stop a woman from quite literally testing the waters.
The viral video first surfaced in 2023, with the tourist defying laws and shocking herself into a painful surprise, alongside a clueless man.
The video, which went viral on social media, showed the pair dismounting a park boardwalk at Silex Spring on the Fountain Paint Pot Nature Trail in Wyoming.
The pair could be seen making their way down a grassy embankment, going up to the 174-degree hydrothermal pool, as the man recording the video can be heard calling them "stupid."
Crouching on the ground, the woman can be seen rolling up her sleeves, dipping her right fingers into the pool while also putting the tip of her shoe in the scalding water.
She was holding onto the man's hand while doing so, before swiftly getting to her feet, walking towards the boardwalk, shouting: “It’s hot! It’s very hot!”
People could be heard laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
An eyewitness said he would have reported the odd behavior to authorities, but there was no park ranger around at the time.
It is prohibited for visitors to touch, swim or soak in hot springs, as the Yellowstone safety page warns: “Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.”
There are other horror stories linked to Yellowstone National Park, as a recent trip turned fatal for 23-year-old Colin Scott, who tragically died after falling into a volcanic hot spring.
The young man had reportedly been attempting to “hot pot,” which is a dangerous and illegal activity that involves briefly dipping into a natural hot spring, as per the National Park Service, when he slipped and fell into one of the park’s near-boiling geothermal pools.
The incident occurred in an area known for its extreme geothermal activity, where temperatures and mineral content make the water fatally hazardous to humans.
According to official park reports, Colin had been testing the temperature of a spring when he slipped and fell in. Despite immediate rescue efforts, the scalding water proved fatal, according to The Guardian.
Rangers rushed to the scene, but a severe thunderstorm forced them to temporarily halt recovery efforts. When they returned the next day, Colin’s body was gone, leaving behind only his sandals and wallet floating in the acidic pool.
Deputy Chief Ranger Lorant Veress later detailed the horrific conditions in his incident report, writing: “In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving.”
