Fall Into Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone Kills California Woman

October 1, 2007

Yellowstone National Park officials are trying to figure out how a 32-year-old woman fell to her death into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone just north of Tower Falls. The accident was reported Friday night and rangers spent the night in the canyon with the woman's body.

Park officials say Charlotte Harrison, of Beverly Hills, and her companion, a 39-year-old friend from Los Angeles, stopped at the Calcite Springs pullout Friday evening to take pictures of the area. Around 6:30 p.m. that evening rangers were alerted that a woman had fallen into the canyon.

A ranger rappelled 400-500 feet down into the canyon and confirmed that Ms. Harrison was killed from the fall. Due to the fading daylight and the ruggedness of the terrain, rangers stayed in the canyon with the body all night. On Saturday morning a helicopter was used to lift the woman's body out of the canyon.

The incident remains under investigation. Park officials ask that anyone who might have witnessed the fall call rangers at 307-344-2132.

Back in June 2006 this was the site of another fatal fall into the canyon. In that incident, a woman from Michigan stepped over the pullout's rock retaining wall and fell to her death.

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