Vancouver tourists in hot water after walking out to Yellowstone hot spring

A group of Vancouver men in hot water with U.S. authorities for allegedly walking out to a hotspring in Yellowstone National Park have apologized for their actions.

U.S. park rangers have filed a criminal complaint against CharlesGamble,AlexeyLyakhandJustisPrice-Brown, alleging theyleft the park's boardwalks and stepped on a geothermal feature totake photos and video.

An affidavit sworn in U.S. court says a witness provided photosand a video capturedon Saturday. It allegedly showedseveral people about 23metres off the boardwalk near the Grand Prismatic Spring.

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None of the allegations hasbeen proven in court, but the four Vancouverites have taken responsibilityfor it.

The accused are all members of a clothing and outdoor adventure companyknown as High on LifeSundayFundayz, which has been travelling the U.S. and shooting footage in the hopes of inspiring others to explore.

The men posted an apology on Facebook for making the "unfortunate error of leaving the pathway" and described themselves as "overzealous" in their enthusiasm for getting the perfect photo of the natural wonder.

"We did not respect the protected environment we were exploring, and we want to acknowledge our wrongdoing," the men said. "We have spent a year saving for and planning this project.The last thing we intended to do was to disrespect this beautiful place."

"We wandered off the laid out path and took photos of the Grand Prismatic Springs, unaware of the ecological ramifications and safety precautions," the men added in another Facebook post."For this, we would like to sincerely apologize to the Yellowstone park community and the public."

The group hastaken down thefootage showing them wandering off the pathway,saying that they will be donating $5,000 to Yellowstone National Park.

But their apology has not gone down well, with their own Facebook posts prompting a backlash ofthousands of comments.

TheGrand Prismatic Spring is Yellowstone'slargest hot spring, measuring approximately 112.8 metres in diameter and is over 37-metresdeep.The park has several signs warning visitors to stay on the pathway and boardwalks.

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With files from The Canadian Press