Sep 26, 2024
Thought Question: What are some important safety tips you think everyone should follow when visiting natural parks or outdoor areas?
The Grand Canyon is one of the world's seven natural wonders. It is also on track to have one of its deadliest years for visitors. Sixteen people have died within the 1.2 million acre preserve in 2024. That's five more than in 2023, which was an average year for deaths.
The causes of death range from drownings, cliff falls, and extreme heat, among others. August was the deadliest month, with a total of five.
“We expect clusters of events any time there is monsoonal weather or any time we have extreme heat,” Meghan Smith told NPR. She's the park’s preventive search and rescue coordinator. “The thing that we don't expect is the cluster that you saw about a month ago." Smith was referring to three falls over the edge within a week.
Those fatalities include the falling deaths of a 20-year-old man on July 31, a 20-year-old woman on August 6, and a 43-year-old BASE jumper on August 1. That man died trying to do an illegal jump into the canyon.
This year has tied 2017 as the Grand Canyon's fourth deadliest year in two decades. That's according to data from the National Park Service (NPS), Grand Canyon National Park, and the Arizona Department of Health Services. That excludes deaths from suicides and motor vehicle accidents. The data shows 2014 was the deadliest year. Twenty four visitors died at the Grand Canyon that year.
Park rangers say people should use caution. They can put themselves in danger by pushing beyond their limits, poor planning (like coming without enough water), and not paying close attention to their surroundings. Since 2007, seven people have died from falling while taking photos. That's according to NPS data.
Gif of the Grand Canyon from GIPHY.
News brought to you by
