A Texas man died Tuesday while hiking to the Phantom Ranch lodge at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said.
At around 11:50 a.m. on Tuesday, Grand Canyon National Park officials received a report of an unresponsive hiker on the South Kaibab Trail, below Cedar Ridge. Bystanders initiated CPR while park medics and volunteers responded to the scene on foot, but lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful.
The hiker was identified by park officials only as a 67-year-old man from Alvarado, Texas. The man was hiking to the Colorado River for an overnight stay at Phantom Ranch, on the North Rim’s North Kaibab Trail.
According to witnesses, the man had turned around at Skeleton Point and was returning up the trail when the incident occurred.
In investigation by the National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner is underway. Although no cause of death was immediately provided, park officials are warning visitors about high summer temperatures in the park.
“In the summer, temperatures on exposed parts of the trail can exceed 120°F (49°C) in the shade, creating extremely hazardous conditions for hikers. In addition to the heat, pre-existing medical conditions can compound physical stress, making summer hiking particularly risky, especially during the peak heat hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” park officials said. “Park rangers strongly advise against hiking in the inner canyon during those hours and urge all visitors to take extreme caution when planning hikes during the summer months.”
