UTAH (ABC4) – Without question, Utah’s National Parks are stunning. From Zion to Bryce Canyon and Arches to Canyonlands, the parks attract thousands of visitors every year. But with that attendance comes some dangerous situations.
A recent report from outdoor blog Outforia ranks the most dangerous U.S. National Parks based on data for the past decade from the National Park Service.
The report shows Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Great Smoky Mountain National Parks are the deadliest, reporting 134, 126, and 92 deaths, respectively.
Across all of the national parks, the data indicates the most common causes of death were falls, amounting to 245 deaths. Medical or natural deaths accounted for 192 while an ‘undetermined’ cause made up 166 deaths.
According to Outforia, these are the top 10 most dangerous national parks:
- Grand Canyon
- Yosemite
- Great Smoky Mountain
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon
- Yellowstone
- Denali
- Mount Rainer
- Rocky Mountain
- Grand Teton
- Zion
Utah’s Canyonland came in 24th, Arches and Capital Reef tied at 31st (with Glacier Bay and Dry Tortugas), and Bryce Canyon at 42nd (tied with Wind Cave).
Here’s a look at how many annual visitors the Utah parks have recorded, the causes of deaths, and how many deaths have been reported over the last decade, according to the National Park Service:
Zion
Visitors: 4,488,268
Causes of death:
- Drowning: 3
- Falls: 22
- Environmental: 8
- Other: 1
- Medical/Natural Death: 3
- Undetermined: 6
Total deaths: 43
Canyonlands
Visitors: 733,996
Causes of death:
- Falls: 3
- Environmental: 2
- Other: 1
- Medical/Natural Death: 3
- Undetermined: 4
Total deaths: 13
Arches
Visitors: 1,659,702
Causes of death:
- Falls: 2
- Environmental: 1
- Medical/Natural Death: 2
- Undetermined: 1
Total deaths: 6
Capitol Reef
Visitors: 1,226,519
Causes of death:
- Motor Vehicle Crash: 4
- Medical/Natural Death: 2
Total deaths: 6
Bryce Canyon
Visitors: 2,594,904
Causes of death:
- Environmental: 1
- Medical/Natural Death: 2
Total deaths: 3
Here’s a full list, courtesy Outforia: