If you don't like the boardwalks and the tourists, and if you are willing to hike for several miles through the backcountry (make lots of noise to scare off the bears and the bison), you can have your very own private Yellowstone geyser field:
We sat there for a good hour, just enjoying the silence, punctuated by the roar of the geyser every couple of minutes. As far as we could tell, we were the only people for several miles around -- during the entire day of hiking, we saw no one. (In case you are wondering, the shot was taken on a tripod with a timer -- I had to push the button and then run into the shot. We have since gotten a radio remote trigger, which gives us a bigger radius, with no more awkward running.)
Yes, the ground was quite warm to sit on, even though this was a cold day in October -- heated chairs! And yes, we were extremely cautious about not getting too close to the pool. We carefully tested the crust to make sure we would not plunge through into a subterranean steam chamber, which can ruin your whole day.
But there is always some risk in venturing away from the boardwalks and into the "unmanicured" parts of the park!
