Thirteen hikers have fallen and died from Angels Landing, or the trail to it, since 2000, according to records compiled by 13 Action News' sister station, FOX 13. Investigative Producer Nate Carlisle reports.
Yep. That sums it up with the notable and important exception of children. Their parents are responsible- heart breaking to hear about the 13 year old.
Not with viruses. If the government is taking credit for if anyone lives or dies then when anyones eventual death occurs it could be compared similarly to Christ being crucified. Everyone in America a Martyr!!
You can't hold everyone's hand. Let it be, they know the risks. You can't pucify the world in the name of safety. Said it yourself, 641 hikes a day. In 10 years that's over 2.3 million hikes and only 13 deaths. Get over it.
Well it's a sad thing! But, he'd been there before he knew the risk's! No-one should ever be on those mountain's alone! That time who know's could have saved his life! Very sad!
@Sometimes Right Don't want him to die, but risky is that, risky, should we ban skydiving because a dozen people die every year? Should we ban climbing Mt. Everest? Motorsports? 13 deaths in 20 years is insignificant at cost of shutting something amazing down.
Show personal responsibility. Don't hike unprepared. Know the risks associated with your decisions. Don't blame others when you don't make the correction ones.
Climbed it when I was in my late 50’s with no problem. You just have to be careful of your footing and use the handholds provided. Saw numerous people going up wearing flip flops, carrying water bottles in one hand.
I got to the chain section and went no further. I'm a tall guy (high center of gravity) with big feet (that didn't fit on the narrow ledge). Still scares me to think about it.
Yosemite has a similar problem with folks dying in the park. Many of them ignore posted warning signs and: wade into water around falls; take selfies on cliffs or with wildlife; or underestimate Half Dome.
Same thing happens at the Grand Canyon South Rim when kids and adults get off trail, go around, under or over chain and steel tube barriers and ignore signage to, At All Times Stay On Trail.
i had a great time in zion but i chose to go to other trails . i saw at 8 am there were already so many people on that trail and i heard there was many stalled especially when someone gets queasy. i already have fear of heights so a narrow path would not be ok for me. i felt slightly guilty for not going to angels landing but i had spectacular views on many other hikes. its like you can enjoy yosemite without doing half dome. rest in peace. and peace be with you mama im sorry for your loss.
Nice post. One man I spoke to as I sat and relaxed at Scout Lookout seemed traumatized by Angel’s landing. Others have climbed in the snow. It depends upon your fear of heights.
more than 30k ppl die every year from car accidents in the US but nobody says anything about it but 13 ppl die from a hike and they want to close it off??? WTF????
I watch these local TV news reports on RU-vid and usually bash them for mindless repetition, their false piety, gross ignorance. This one however is top notch. Great job. As a hiker who has been interested in this trail this KTNV report is full of essential information. Thank you.
Heights like this never bothered me until I took some young Cub Scouts on the hike. Everyone must try and look over the edge. From that point on I was nervous of heights like this. The beauty and majesty of this hike is well worth the effort. Every human should experience this. Just be careful and when looking down hang on the rail and you will; be safe. Looking down from these heights causes dizziness, especially for we older geezers.
Use a Permit System. Close the Trail from hiking to those who don’t have a permit. It is dangerous to the inexperienced and unskilled. Train for it and obtain a permit!!!
You'd have to be a massive jerk to close this spectacle down over the people who are irresponsible....this has nothing to do with the masses, this is all about the individual
I call bull crap on liability. That is like saying when a bear attacks you the parks are liabil they are not. People need to be careful when they are in the wilderness it can and will bit you in the ass.
my hands are sweating just sitting here! i love the outdoors but i'm afraid of heights. I wouldn't go near this trail. But I don't support more controls or closing part of it. it's beautiful but part of that beauty is the danger that is involved.
There's a sign up front telling people that people have died in falls. There's a chain on the most treacherous part. As long as there's signage explaining the trail and what to expect I think the Park Service has done its job.
I can see the use of permitting might help, but people need to be responsible especially ones with minors in their care! Don’t rail up the trail or close it, just educate and maybe permit like half dome in Yosemite.
Yes, and if a super fit, experienced, young man is in great danger on that trail then, for sure, that 13 year old girl, for example, should never have been allowed up there. The adults should have protected her. One of the rangers in the video warns that parents should stay near kids. What? Anyone think a parent, hanging on to the chain could have enough strength and react quick enough to save their kids. Any parent who has their kids up there is guilty of child endangerment. Manslaughter if they fall.
National Parks IS NOT responsible. Individuals are responsible for themselves, for their own actions. You go too close to the edge, get dizzy, step on an loose rock, slippery surface, etc... then loose your footing and fall. Don't blame anyone but yourselve! Closing the trail is not the solution!
I'm all for personal responsibility. At the same time, what percentage of people would be climbing Angel's Landing if not for chains and the designated trail to the top? I mean, if the trail didn't exist, who would even think the climb it except for a few people?
I did the hike back in early February I got lucky and found a few days when the snow had melted and decided to do it I don’t understand how anyone can hike that in the summer crowds I’ve seen pictures with it crowded and I don’t think there’s a chance I could do to with that many people on such a narrow trail
STAY HOME! - NEWS FLASH, hiking, kayaking, surfing, water sports, skiing, mountain climbing, etc, all come with risks! If you are not prepared to take them, don't understand the risks, cannot prepare yourself mentally or physically to handle inherent risks, Stay Home and safe. The world is not responsible for safeguarding you once you leave the comfort of your remote control and couch. So tired of whining and over litigation, regulation on activities in the U.S. So happy I grew up in an era where we could fall of our skateboards, bikes, motorcycles, ropes, snowmobiles, and horses without everyone panicking and litigating safety gear.
13 people have died in 19 years and its hours away from Las Vegas. Why is this on local news? Over 500 pedestrians have died in Las Vegas in the last 10 years. Walking across the street in Las Vegas seems to be more dangerous than hiking Angels Landing.
This is my favorite hike and I’ve done it 6 times. It absolutely should remain open. People are responsible for themselves up there and the trail should not be altered or closed just because some people make stupid decisions. It isn’t even that hard of a hike so I believe the accidents are due to carelessness, not the difficulty of the trail. I recently did the Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park in Maine and thought it was technically more challenging. Another great hike for experienced hikers who know their capabilities.
The park service should film a 3D virtual video of the climb. It would be a good source of revenue and a safer experience for those not able to climb. Climbing up is easy but getting down is the hard part.
I did half dome 2 years ago. The ranger at the bottom of the sub dome was checking my permit when a guy came down from the sub dome and started bitching at her about why people aren't required to wear harnesses on the cables, that it's dangerous. She tried to explain to him that the park service has a theory of the wild where, in order to keep the wilderness experience as pure as possible, people need to take responsibility. He wouldn't let up on his complaining. She asked where he was from and he said Poland. She said" How would you like it if I came to Poland and told you how to run things?" I burst out laughing and he just walked off.
Don’t call it a hike. Call it climbing. Its very very basic climbing, but there’s always a larger element of risk when you aren’t just walking a trail the whole way. I normally don’t like the “personal responsibility” crap when it comes from certain people because it often doesn’t actually apply when situations are not really in a persons full control. In this case it does apply because climbing is a leisure activity, not something you have to do to pay the bills. Yea, the cables can be dicey if the weather turns, but theres warnings all over telling people to turn around if conditions are not dry.
People tend to underestimate risk. We were at Yellowstone, which is posted with warnings, and a woman was letting her kids run across the edge of the geyser basin. My husband pointed out the danger and she said "Oh, it's okay. They know what they're doing." WTF? I'm an experienced hiker and rock climber, but declined Angel's Landing on the day I was there because 1: It was afternoon in winter, and I knew how long a hike like that would take on a short day, and 2: It was winter, and there were still icy patches on the canyon walls. I actually know the risks.
You should have told that woman you recorded what she was allowing her kids to do and you'd report her to child services. These are the people who need their kids taken because they clearly aren't looking out for their well-being.
We were in Yellowstone in 2016 from UK. A week later we read that some bloke had deliberately gone off the path to take photos and fallen into a geyser. Reports said that his body couldnt be recovered because only his clothes were left.. Hmmm... Interesting and Scary
I saw that at the Grand Canyon, a young girl about 7 was running on all the outcropping, it was cute but dangerous. Even so maybe she was a ram in her former life
Stop trying to make the park and other people responsible for YOUR ACTIONS! Here’s a thought, “Hmm this looks beyond my skill level, maybe I should turn around and go back.....” Close the trail? NO, people need to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEMSELVES!
Yes but if people keep dying every few years on this trail, the responsible thing as human beings is to cut down on the possibility of death by either closing trails such as these, or making it permit based on a limited amount daily, etc. It's the Park's responsibility at some point to protect people to the best of their ability, and not to just be like "well that's just nature another person falling off and dying."
@@Jbird-sx4zk It is not the responsibility of the park to protect people. People need to take responsibility for their own actions. People like you are the biggest part of the problem......it’s always someone else’s fault, someone else’s responsibility.
@@debrafrei4717 Ma'am I understand people usually are at fault in these situations, but some of the responses on here are pretty heartless, and strike me as coming from selfish outdoorsy people who are probably the more experienced type hikers and don't care how many people die as long as they have access to their particular hikes/paths. People are often incredibly foolish and careless at National Parks these days, and you can't police everyone's behavior, but if you're leaving a trail open where many people are dying perhaps you have to help protect people from themselves a little moreso moving forward.
I've never been on this trail by the way...I'm not saying close it down, but perhaps have permits, limit the amount of people on it, or in some way make it safer.
Hike at your own risk. I did this hike in October-got to the first part of the chain section and decided it wasn’t for me-and I was well aware EHAT lay ahead. People are responsible for knowing what they are getting into-it’s not anyone else’s job to take care of you.
My question is, is it easy to turn around or do you have to wait a while for other people to pass first? From some pictures I've seen theres can be a lot of people hiking on it. But these may be been older photos. Im not interested in hiking this I'm just curious
@@mrdad-zl9zl it wasn’t too bad to turn around because we had just begun the chain part. The traffic is all one way in the same side of the chain. You just need to find a safe area to switch sides. If I’m not mistaken -now you need a reservation to hike it-I suppose to help control the crowds
Some of that trail is super narrow....only a couple feet wide if that and a drop off on either side , so keeping 6 ft away from an edge is impossible. Why anyone would bring a kid up there is just beyond me. Not for a cute little hike.
At the bottom of that sign on angels landing at scouts lookout it is VERY CLEAR. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SAFETY!! If people fall and die, then they die. That is ENTIRELY ON THEM. And the lard ass saying he would be ok with it being permanently closed likely has a hard time hiking to his refrigerator....
Right off the bat this very experienced hiker and backpacker saw the issue. The reporter, who I'd be anything isn't a hiker, went with "Not that long or steep." People who don't hike truly don't understand what five miles can entail. And people who don't hike go to NP destinations like this and they're driven by ego. The guy said it. "Bucket list hike." For real hikers? Most don't want to do it because of the throngs. When you mix arrogance and a lack of experience bad things can happen. So many are taught to be fearful of the wilderness, or think it comes with guardrails, when RESPECT is the message that should be sent.
People who hike trails like this do so on their own accord and do it because they love it. Risk is their own. Its not anybody else's business. This coverage of the incident seems tailored negatively towards the trail and park management. Warning signs are posted and there is safety placed without disrupting trail where possible. This news channels coverage fails to showcase opinions from different perspectives. Inadequate journalism.
Several years ago I attempted to hike this trail, but when I came to the narrow spot where the drop off is 1200' on one side and 800' on the other I chickened out and turned around. I don't like heights anyway because I'm a clumsy type of person, and I was in my late 60s when attempting this hike. Then, when turning around I slipped on some loose sand/gravel and fell on my butt, and slid a couple feet. A lady screamed and her husband grabbed me by my shirt. I was probably 3' from the edge when stopped. Scared the crap out of me!
Leave your backpacks at Scout Lookout. That'll help out a lot with your balance on the way up and down Angels trail. And please, use both hands to concentrate on your hiking. Those RU-vidrs are too busy with their Go Pros. Safety FIRST!
I went there once and almost died a few times because by the time we got up there, it started to snow. Slipped and fell on my ass a few times and some others were scary but those chains REALLY help.
@@Liberty_Tree why was the trail open on a day with snow in the forecast. drop this individualistic libertarian mindset of everyone for themselves. The park should do something.
@@bobbilly9136 I'm probably one of those individualists you're talking about, and yet I think because the park created the trail that it has some responsibility to protect people.
I have hiked Angels Landing 50 times that I have logged, I know and accept the risk. I focus on my feet and always use the chains. I love hiking this trail!
People almost always fall taking a selfie or doing some dumb yoga pose on a cliff edge. It's not even a hard or scary hike... You have to try to fall off in order to do it. Nobodies fault but their own. This segment is alarmist as hell
Ok so let's do the math for the journalists at news network who could not bother to. 21 years. 641 hikers per day. = 4,913,265 people who have hiked the darn thing since 2000. 13 people died. That means that statistically speaking 99.9997% of people hike that trail just fine. And what seems to be the problem?????????????????????????????
I bet more than a million people have hiked that trail, including me and my kids. If 13 have died that's less than a 0.0013% fatality rate. Fatality rates for drivers are about 1,000x higher. I guess we need to close all the roads. This is some really bad reporting.
Fully agree that it needs a permit system. I hiked it last summer, insanely packed so dangerous saw teenagers jump/skipping carelessly down the cliff and saw a few people with babies on their backs doing the hike too
@ROM LUNDY costs the same as zion. All permits are free. Look into their permit system for jmt. It’s not about money it’s about limiting the amount of ppl on a dangerous hike. Again it’s free
Here's the deal: people who would hike that should, realize they are taking their life in their hands. It's a cliff. Anyone who climbs also knows that coming down is always much more dangerous than going up. It's both trickier inherently and you're tired. And weather conditions can change. Note that you won't find me walking up anything like that in a casual fashion . I wouldn't feel prepared for that terrain in general without a 150 feet of rope etc at with me on my back. It's high angle rock, aka, you can easily die on it. I think it should be left open., although it will likely end up restricted. Signed, not a wimp, just have a tiny bit of experience and a clue.--( and not saying this guy was clueless. you can still die if you have experience and equipment. On a hike like that you are knowingly taking a risk, he took it, and unfortunately pulled the low card in the deck during his hike. Should it closed to people? Hell no.
My mom went hiking, and she noticed that at a Very Narrow place. Hikers pass touching each other instead of taking turns. She said one guy seemed very intent on pushing people. So she insisted on standing against the rock face instead of on the outside. After a stalemate, he eventually was forced to pass on the outside. She said "Never again!". Could this be the work of a Serial Killer? They all died alone...
They should take a photo of him and what part of the trail this happens at with him. There are people who do these things in purpose. He may have found a way to kill without getting caught.
He left the trail….that’s a big reason why people fall from trails like this. He felt comfortable exploring. The trail is there for a reason…….Roughly 18 people have fallen from angels landing since the early 1900’s. That’s not a crazy amount. The concern is that most of those have been in the last 15 years. From 1908-2009 there had been 5 deaths from falling. The rest happening after 2009. That should give some clarity and perspective of the dramatization. But I’m sure there will be more now due to people getting selfies near the edge or going off trail and videoing it for Instagram.
This reporter must be a liberal. “Why not close the trail?” Yes, we all need the government to protect us from ourselves. Please, you climb, you take the risk, you reap the reward or suffer the consequence.
I've done this hike once, it happened to begin hailing at the top. We climbed slowly on the way down because the ground was now wet and I slipped. A man out of no where grabbed my arm before I fell. He stood up and just kept going. I could have barreled down the cliff. I would still go on the hike again but take caution as it is dangerous and people have died on it.
I was surprised at the number of people hiking at Zion and on upper Bright Angel in the Grand Canyon wearing flip flops, sandals, Crocs and saw one guy barefooted. And, there were lots of parents hiking steep trails with infants in backpack or frontal child carriers. I did not hike Angel’s Landing.
One would have to look at the statistics of where and why people fell. If it's right before or after chained sections, they should extend the chains -- it's not exactly ruining anything. If it's because of crowding, then they need to use a permit system (as happened at Yosemite for Half Dome -- I climbed it when there were no permits, and had only moderate numbers of people up there but it has not gotten very crowded). Some might be suicides, some might be death by selfie. There's nothing you can do about that.
Two years later I have come back to this site...and now Angels Landing is more restricted. That is not a cure for stupid. Falling off the edge when you get too close....surely is. Spectacular hike! and I tolerate the chains because it keeps the trail at least open. Let us also count the number of deaths by car that were *on the way* to visit Zion. Likely an order of magnitude bigger in that time frame. You don't see them closing the "attractive nuisance", do you? How about closing roads unless you hire a professional driver, just to be safe? Men were more likely to get too close to the edge. Duly noted Cause of death: gravity with testosterone poisoning as a contributing factor. Does not mention heart attacks....so how about that?
I have done Angel's Landing a few times, Lady Mountain twice, and most of the other marked trails in Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands' Island in the Sky district, and so many other off trail hikes from Kolob Mountain to the Ls Sals, not to mention the Boulder Plateau, the Henry Mountains, and along the Wasatch Front including Timpanogos, Bell's Canyon, Mt Olympus, and down on White Mesa and the Bears Ears. Some of these hikes were "dangerous." I grew up in the city, Houston. The number 1 cause of accidents in the great outdoors is carelessness. The government cannot protect you from your own actions. Permits are not going to prevent carelessness or death. Utah has been very good to me! So has the Creator. Did I mention Kanab, Mesa Verde, the Grand Canyon (North and South Rims), Havasupai, Little Santa Anita, Mt. Wilson, Black Rock Desert, Yellow Cat, Vasquez Rocks, Salvation Mountain, and one super secret trail that led me back to myself? Life has been good. I hope I die on the trail!
MAIN ISSUE: selfie, posting on internet culture. Many years ago, people did things in the moment, focused; they did not need to get the great shot to post it on Facebook. Things were done with calm and gain at a normal pace. Nowdays we all rushing, we all impatient stars
It is super busy and can get really sketch when the crowds come. Lots of people inexperienced and not taking it seriously. I couldn’t believe the recklessness I observed in some people up there.
