Death in Zion National Park: Stories of Accidents and Foolhardiness in Utah's Grand Circle

Nothing compares to the majesty and mystery of Zion National Park, but adventures in its canyons, up its sheer rock faces, and along its rivers can be dramatic and deadly. The park's death records date back to 1908, when lightning strikes took the lives of children visiting the lumber works on table Mountain. All told, ninety-two people have died in the park, from novice carryoneers who underestimated the challenges they faced to veteran climbers who made small but fatal mistakes. Six people have fallen from the knife-edge crossing between Scout Lookout and Angels Landing, plummeting 1,500 feet to the rocks below. In the Narrows of the Virgin River, two men believed they could build a raft to take them through the canyon, but they perished in the frigid water before they could begin the job. A Boy Scout on a wilderness hike in the desert collapsed and died in the midsummer heat. And when the weather changed abruptly, seven people rappelling into Keyhole Canyon were swept away in an instant as a flash flood deluged the narrow chasm. Armchair travelers and park visitors alike will be spellbound by these tales of hidden hazards in Zion National Park, and they will benefit from the author's advice on how to stay safe the next time they visit. Book jacket.