A woman hiking up Angels Landing in Zion National Park apparently tripped and fell about 1,000 feet to her death, according to park officials.
The woman, who was not immediately identified, was thought to be hiking alone when she fell around 2 p.m. Friday, District Ranger Ray O'Neil said this morning.
"She was a third of the way from Scout Lookout to the top," the ranger said. "We're still looking into it at this point. It just sounds like a terrible accident."
Weather apparently wasn't a factor, as it was sunny with temperatures in the 50s and low 60s, he said. There were others in the area who saw her fall, and they were interviewed by rangers.
While there are chains along some sections of the trail that hikers can hold onto as they go up and down, the woman was thought to be in an area where there were no chains, said the ranger.
“It’s roughly in the saddle area. When you go from Scout Lookout you go up just a little bit and then you go down just a little bit before you go on the big ascent to the top," he said. More details were expected later today.
The last hiker to die along the route was a California woman who fell in August.
Comments
Parks can plaster hiking trails with warning signs for all the dangers, but you still run into the same problem; most people do not read signs or follow their advice. At every park I've been to, I've seen people breeze by big warning signs wearing flip-flops and carrying no water or supplies.
This accident is unfortunate and my prayers go out to her family.
Just went up Angel's Landing on Wednesday - it appears two days before this latest incident.
The long and short - adults can choose whether to go or not go up -- but what really upset me was that there were kids, not more than 10 years old, going up with their parents. They may have the advantage of "no fear" - but they also have the disadvantage of not knowing when fear is a good thing.
PARENTS - people have died on this mountain just in the past year - what in the world are you doing taking your kids up??? Most will disagree I'm sure - but I think this is as irresponsible as driving with a child in the car after having a few drinks - and you know the outrage the community makes when parents get a DUI with their kids in the car....
Just my two cents from a someone that was beside himself seeing kids scampering around on this pretty scary and obviously dangerous place.
I happened to come upon Angles Landing near the end of a hike from Lava Point Friday within an hour of when the woman had fallen.People waiting in line to go to AL were talking about it.There were at least 100 people on the rock trying to get to the top of AL.It was sheer insanity.People were trying to come down while people were trying to go up.They were all hanging onto the chains.As an east Coast climber it made my blood run cold.Complete idiocy.It is amazing no one else died.My hat goes off to the obviously pregnant woman that was a third of the way up the chained trail.IN sandals.There was a ranger watching helplessly.Everyone has an inalienable right to kill himself if he wants to but killing yourself would be merciful compared to surviving a fall like that and living as a paraplegic.
I was on my way up to one of the west rim campsites on Friday night and decided to do a side trip to the top of AL. I too was amazed at how many people were up there who seemed like they may not be well equipped to do so (slick bottom shoes etc.).
About two thirds of the way up I heard a strange noise and looked back to see the woman sliding. I didn't see her go over the edge, but the edge was just past my viewpoint. It was clear that she went over. I'll have that view in my head for the rest of my life. I think I actually talked to her too when I passed her earlier on the trail. I'm not 100% sure if it was the woman that I talked to or not, but I barely got a wink of sleep that night. My heart goes out to her, her family and friends, and all others who have been so unfortunate.
It is terrible that things like this happen, but I do feel that the parks are doing a fantastic job at warning us and preparing us before we set out on these adventures. I was warned by two different bus drivers, and two rangers about the Angels Landing hike. Anyone who does that hike or any others in our parks must know that there is a certain amount of risk involved, but there is a certain amount of risk involved in driving your car there too. If 6 people died from Angels Landing this year, I wonder how many died in car accidents on their way to Zion. More than 6 I would assume. There is a certain amount of risk in everything that we do and I for one believe that we should appreciate every moment that we have with each other.
SR, I'll not argue that driving a car to a national park can be dangerous, but to compare it to the Angels Landing hike might be a bit of a stretch. Last year's U.S. highway death rate (the lowest on record) was 1.28 deaths per 100 million miles driven.
I also hiked to Angels Landing this summer after the first fall and since I was a ranger there, I knew how to prepare myself. I wore hiking shoes with really good tread and yet I still slipped coming down. I think coming down is the most dangerous part because the rocks are covered with a fine silt and when you put your weight on that, it's easy to slip. If I slipped wearing good boots I can't imagine how those people wearing sandals do it. I've been a ranger for 7 years and it's amazing the things I see: people jumping fences to get a closer view of the canyon in Mesa Verde, no water or food on long hikes, carrying an infant in their arms while trying to climb the ladders in Mesa Verde, etc...
It was a tragedy that this woman died and I feel for her family. I have found Angel's landing to be safe if you are careful and it is not icy. It would be a shame if this trail was ever closed for any reason other than ice or the stability of the rock.
Responding to the comment about 10 year old children on the trail. I have carried toddlers up this trail and I have taken fairly young children up all the way, 5-6 years old. If there is a drop-off, my children's hands are in mine and they are on the side away from the dropoff, if possible. When there are chains, both their hands are on the chains and I grip my child. Teenagers are actually more risky because they don't listen as well. The trail is safe if you are careful and responsible. If you are not careful and responsible, no place is safe, including the roads below. If parents let their younger children take the trail without close supervision, that is stupid, but it should not stop those of us who supervise our kids. Maybe the park service should create rules and give parents tickets for unsupervised children, like we do when kids don't have seat belts on.
How many people have died in automobile/bicycle accidents during the last 10 years in Zion National Park? That would be an interesting comparison. I feel much safer hiking Angel's Landing than I would riding a bike up the canyon road with no bike lane.
Paul, in response to a couple of your quotes above:
"I have carried toddlers up this trail and I have taken fairly young children up all the way, 5-6 years old. If there is a drop-off, my children's hands are in mine and they are on the side away from the dropoff, if possible. When there are chains, both their hands are on the chains and I grip my child."
What if YOU trip? Does your child go over the cliff with you? AL is dangerous enough for an able-bodied adult. If you are trying to hold onto a child and watch your footing, you are playing Russian Roulette with your life and your children.
"How many people have died in automobile/bicycle accidents during the last 10 years in Zion National Park? That would be an interesting comparison."
I suspect that if you compare the percentage of deaths on AL relative to number of folks attempting the hike in a given year, it would be far higher than the number of car deaths in ZNP relative to the number of cars that travel through the park every year.
Don't want to be nasty here. Just very concerned for the children after what I saw last week. I really hope parents that read this will think twice about this before taking kids up there.