You are here

Home » Death Valley National Park Visitor Dies In Apparent Fall From Manly Beacon

Death Valley National Park Visitor Dies In Apparent Fall From Manly Beacon

Share
By NPT Staff - April 6th, 2020
A visitor to Death Valley National Park died in an apparent fall from Manly Beacon/NPS file

A visitor to Death Valley National Park died in an apparent fall from Manly Beacon, a prominent outcrop below Zabriskie Point/NPS file

A visitor to Death Valley National Park who apparently tried to climb Manly Beacon was found dead at the base of the prominent landmark below Zabriskie Point in the park.

A hiking party of three reported the discovery Saturday afternoon near the Zabriskie Point trailhead, according to a release Monday from the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. That afternoon a sheriff's deputy and Death Valley rangers who responded found the man's body and estimated that he had fallen approximately 300 feet from Manly Beacon.

Due to lack of sufficient resources and time, a recovery was not attempted that evening. On Sunday, Inyo County Sheriff's search and rescue coordinators, Inyo County search and rescue personnel, and Death Valley park rangers recovered the body from its position up a steep and loose draw. A helicopter was used to lift the victim's body out of the area and transfer it to the Inyo County Coroner's Office.

A rental vehicle was located at the trailhead; Death Valley rangers reported the vehicle as being there for about three days prior to the discovery of the decedent.  The identity of the recovered body was pending positive identification by the Inyo County coroner.

While Death Valley was officially closed Saturday morning due to the coronavirus pandemic, many people in the park that day didn't yet know it was officially closed. 

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.