When road accidents are not accounted for, the most common cause of death in the country’s 63 national parks has consistently been water-related. Between 2007 and 2024, 826, or 21% of all national park deaths, occurred by drowning.
The majority of these accidents happen when park visitors underestimate the depth of the waterway or power of its current. Missteps are also common when the area around the water is slippery — earlier in June, an 18-year-old visitor to Olympic National Park in Washington State fell to his death down the 50-foot Sol Duc Falls waterfall.
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Rescue workers who recovered his body said that he slipped on some rocks while walking near the top of the waterfall and was pulled to the bottom pool area by the power of the falls. Numerous local police departments and water and ground rescue teams assisted with the efforts to locate what they initially believed was a missing hiker before they discovered the man’s body submerged at the bottom of the waterfall.
‘Beautiful but very dangerous’: National park warns of water safety
Another national park known for its many lakes and streams, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain issued a water safety warning after a string of accidents in which visitors had to be rescued from a strong current.
While remaining scant on details, the NPS said that its workers had to respond to “three separate swift water rescue incidents inside” the St. Vrain River in the Wild Basin area. At least one of the park visitors was a child, and all three were rescued without needing medical assistance.
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“Moving water is beautiful; it can also be very dangerous,” the National Parks Service (NPS) branch for Rocky Mountain said in a press release. “Don’t underestimate the power of water.”
The warning pointed out that even a small slip can knock someone off their feet while a current — which tend to be most powerful during the spring and summer months — can pull one forward and potentially even underwater.
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‘Children, by nature, tend to be attracted by water’: NPS
“Rocks and logs along the banks of rivers, streams, and waterfalls can be deceptively slippery,” the NPS writes further. “Stay at least one body length back from the edge of riverbanks and waterfalls. Always provide proper supervision for children, who by nature, tend to be attracted to water.”
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While designated as a national park recreation area rather than a full park, the Lake Mead Reservoir sitting between Nevada and Arizona has the highest number of water deaths of any other national park site in the country — as a popular sailing area, it sees accidents not just from swimming and accidental trips but also boating accidents that can be exacerbated by poor weather.
The number of deaths recorded at Lake Mead between 2017 and 2024 — 317 — was nearly double the second-highest number at Grand Canyon.
“If you see swift water moving across a hiking trail, stop,” the NPS continued. “Don’t try to cross – the water could be deeper than you think. Be prepared to turn back to alternate hiking routes and complete your hike another day.”
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