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Woman Falls To Her Death In Zion National Park

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By NPT Staff - February 6th, 2018
Angels Landing in Zion National Park from Deertrap Mountain/NPS

A woman visitor to Zion National Park fell to her death, possibly from Angels Landing (middle outcrop) on Monday/NPS photo

The trail to Angels Landing in Zion National Park in Utah was closed Tuesday morning as authorities tried to figure out where along the trail a woman fell to her death.

The hiker's body was found in Refrigerator Canyon along the West Rim Trail just before 5 p.m. Monday. The woman's injuries were consistent with a high-elevation fall, possibly from the Angels Landing Trail, according to the preliminary investigation. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is the primary investigating agency. The hiker’s identity and cause of death were being withheld pending the investigation.

There was no immediate word whether the woman had any companions or other hikers with her at the time of her fall.

“This is an extremely sad event. Our thoughts go out to this visitor’s family,” said Zion Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh.

The Angels Landing Trail and the West Rim Trail from the Grotto Trailhead to Angels Landing were to remain closed until noon local time Tuesday.

Over the years a number of park visitors have fallen to their death from points along the trail, which is precipitous in places, and even the top of Angels Landing.  From the top, the views down Zion Canyon are incredible. But the hike up can be treacherous if you fear heights, and the elevation tops out just shy of 6,000 feet, an elevation that can be demanding on someone who left their sea-level home the day before for their Zion vacation. 

Comments

Submitted by Kristy on February 9, 2018 - 7:06pm.

I live locally and hiked up there last Friday. Just wanted to say that the weather played no part as it has been 60 degrees and dry so there's no snow or ice up there right now. And it's slow season so there's very few people in the park so no crowds(which is why I hiked up when I did). What I did notice was too many people being overconfident and not using the chains which is really dangerous especially on the way back down. I read that the girl had hiked it previously so it's a possibility she was overconfident. Either way it's a sad tragedy.


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