People somehow get the idea that America's national parks are safe places. If they weren't, why would they encourage people to visit? But that's not the philosophy of the parks. They operate under the idea that people should see and experience the wonders of nature, and they have set up rules, guidelines, and warnings to keep people safe. It's up to us to heed those warnings. Yellowstone National Park has two million acres of natural wonders, and some of them can kill you, but that mainly happens when people disregard the rules and the warnings.
The most dangerous things at Yellowstone are not the bears, nor the bison, although people have been killed by them. The thermal vents have killed more people than all animal attacks combined. And the difference is even more stark when you consider serious injuries. Just last week, a woman fell into near-boiling water when the ground gave way, because she was hiking off the marked trails. Read up on the history of injuries and deaths due to disregarding the guidelines near Yellowstone's hot springs and thermal vents at Outside Online. Keep in mind those deaths and injuries are still rare. -via Damn Interesting
(Image credit: Brocken Inaglory)