Grand Canyon Heat Kills 3 Hikers as Inner Canyon Temperatures Top 112 Degrees
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 20
Grand Canyon Heat Kills 3 Hikers as Inner Canyon Temperatures Top 112 Degrees
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 20
Summary
Three hikers died in Grand Canyon National Park within a week in two suspected heat-related cases, including a 67-year-old man and 68-year-old woman found Tuesday on the North Kaibab Trail.
112-degree heat at the canyon bottom on Tuesday and 109 degrees on June 12 pushed conditions above normal, with officials warning the inner canyon can quickly overwhelm hikers.
A 72-year-old man died June 12 on the South Kaibab Trail, a route with little shade and no water, while the North Kaibab is among the park's most difficult inner-canyon trails.
Park officials have not released the victims' identities and said hikers should avoid the canyon between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when heat is typically most dangerous.
The deaths add to a recent rise in heat incidents at the park after an 18-year-old man died earlier this month with heat-related symptoms.