A backpacker was discovered dead near a remote trail close to the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, as per authorities in Arizona. The National Park Service revealed that the 60-year-old individual, a resident of North Carolina, was found on Wednesday by a helicopter between Lower Tapeats and Deer Creek campsites. These two locations are reachable from the North Rim, approximately 29 miles (46.6 kilometers) northwest of Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim.
The man’s identity and place of residence were not released to the public. He had embarked on a solo backpacking journey from Thunder River to Deer Creek and was reported missing on Tuesday when he didn’t check in with a family member. The cause and manner of his death were being looked into by the Park Service and Coconino County Medical Examiner.
The path connecting the campsites, situated about 4,400 feet (1.3 kilometers) beneath the North Rim, offers stunning vistas of colorful rock formations, canyons, waterfalls, and pools that are accessible via steep and occasionally challenging trails, as outlined in a Park Service guide.
This hiker is presumed to be the sixth individual to perish at the canyon in less than a month and the 14th fatality this year. The Park Service documented 11 deaths in 2023, mentioning an average of 10 to 15 deaths yearly.
In separate incidents, an 80-year-old man on a commercial river journey died after falling from a boat near Fossil Rapid, around 10 miles (16 kilometers) upriver from Tapeats Creek. Additionally, the body of a 33-year-old woman from a Phoenix suburb was found after being swept away in a flash flood while hiking on August 22.
Furthermore, the remains of a 20-year-old woman from New Mexico were discovered on August 8 below Twin Overlooks; a 43-year-old man from Missouri died on August 1 while attempting a prohibited BASE jump from Yavapai Point; and a 20-year-old man from North Carolina fell to his death on July 31 at the South Rim.
