Hiker falls to death inside Zion National Park in Utah, officials say

A hiker fell to his death inside of Zion National Park in Utah over the weekend, according to officials. Officials say that a call was received at around 7 a.m.

on Sunday for reports of a possible fall inside the park, according to a press release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office . According to the National Park Service , the fall was reported near the Canyon Overlook Trail. The trail is about a mile long and runs along the east side of Zion National Park.



Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue were the first on the scene and found a 37-year-old unidentified man. They determined that “he was beyond help,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s office . Shortly after, sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene and “confirmed their findings,” police said.

In a statement, the National Park Service said that more than 30 personnel from the parks search and rescue team, as well as the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue were involved in the response. According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the man’s death is still under investigation, and his identity has not yet been released. Not the only death inside Zion National Park in recent months Another death was reported inside Zion National Park in October when a canyoneer died after accidentally falling between 150 and 200 feet.

The 40-year-old man was canyoneering with three others through the Heaps Canyon when the incident occurred, park officials said. The Utah Department of Public Safety extracted the man using a helicopter and then flew him to an area near Watchman Campground. There, Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue and Intermountain Life Flight continued to render aid, park officials said.

He was pronounced dead before he could be flown to a hospital. Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY.

Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hiker falls to death inside Zion National Park over weekend.