Notorious for its expansive views of the park, Angels Landing Trail is believed to be the location of the incident. Trevorklatko/Flickr photo.
On Monday just before 5 p.m., the body of a woman who fatally fell was recovered by a search and rescue team in Zion National Park. Per Fox13, the fallen hiker was discovered in the Refrigerator Canyon, located along the West Rim Trail.
The exact location, cause of the incident, and identity of the woman has yet to be determined. Since the body was discovered Monday evening, investigators were forced to halt their investigation until Tuesday morning, according to KUTV. However, due to injuries consistent with a high elevation fall, it's speculated that the hiker fell from the popular Angels Landing Trail.
According to Zion NPS website, Angels Landing is considered one of the parks most strenuous hikes. Rising roughly 1,500 feet from the canyon floor, the trail is infamous for its steep ascent and impressive views of the canyon.
The exposure of the trail, which leads hikers through a steep ridge line with drop-offs, has contributed to previous falling fatalities within the park. Per the NPS, since the park's establishment, around seven people have fatally fallen from the trail.
“This is an extremely sad event. Our thoughts go out to this visitor’s family,” Jeff Bradybaugh, Superintendent Zion National Park, in a statement released by the park.
Following the incident, the National Park Service announced a closure of both the Angels Landing Trail and the West Rim Trail on Tuesday for further investigation.
About The Author
stash member Katie Lozancich
TGR Staff Writer and photographer. Fond of bikes, pow, and dogs. Originally from Northern CA, home for me has ranged from the PNW to a teepee in Grand Teton National Park.
Caden
May 20th, 2022
Most of us know about the nation’s capital, but few of us know about the nation’s national park. As psychology dissertation shared The United States has 59 national parks in all. 33 of them are located within the borders of the United States and the other 26 are in other countries.