Since 1870, 22 people have died in the park after falling into the pools and geysers. One of the most recent deaths, in 2016, involved a man trying to soak in a geyser in the park. The man fell into the water and was boiled to death.

While there is no official, publicly available running tally of every individual who has ever slipped or fallen into the specific runoff of Old Faithful, the broader history of Yellowstone’s geysers is well-documented and tragic. According to National Park Service records and historical archives, at least 22 people have died due to injuries sustained in the park’s various thermal features since 1890. Old Faithful itself is surrounded by a protective boardwalk designed to keep the millions of annual visitors at a safe distance from its scalding eruptions, which can reach temperatures of roughly 204°F (95°C). Most recorded "falls" near Old Faithful involve individuals, often children, who accidentally step or trip off the designated paths into the boiling runoff pools. One of the most high-profile non-fatal incidents occurred in 2006 when a six-year-old boy suffered severe burns after slipping on a wet boardwalk. In 2026, the park continues to emphasize that the ground in geyser basins is often just a thin, fragile crust over boiling water, and any deviation from marked trails is a life-threatening risk.