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By Joe Edwards
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Millions visit America’s national parks each year, but a small number of those trips end in tragedy. Analysis conducted by outdoor lifestyle and information website Outforia took data from the National Park Service and outlined the leading cause of accidental deaths across the country's national parks.
Across 63 national parks from 2014 to 2022, falls accounted for the largest share of accidental deaths, at about 36 percent. Motor vehicle crashes followed at approximately 21 percent, while drownings accounted for around 16 percent. Environmental deaths, which Outforia said included those related to heat, cold, avalanches, rockfalls and flash floods, followed at about 15 percent.
Aircraft incidents accounted for 4.7 percent of accidental deaths, while “other transportation,” which Outforia said included boats, bikes, skiing and horses, made up 3 percent. Other or unspecified deaths accounted for 2.7 percent of the total, while wildlife encounters made up less than 1 percent.
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The rankings do not include Chiricahua National Park in southeastern Arizona, which became America’s 64th national park when its former status as a national monument was changed in October.
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Which National Parks Recorded the Most Accidental Deaths?
The analysis also found that California’s Yosemite National Park recorded the most accidental deaths during the period, with 61. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles Tennessee and North Carolina, followed with 58, while Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park recorded 53.
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in California, and Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park followed with 42 and 31 accidental deaths, respectively.
However, Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias ranked as the riskiest park per visit, with roughly one accidental death for every 65,000 visits. According to Outforia, that rate was nearly 20 times the figure across all national parks.
The Leading Cause of Death in Each National Park
Below are the leading causes of accidental death in the national parks included in Outforia’s analysis:
Vehicle Crashes
Great Smoky Mountains NP, Death Valley NP, Yellowstone NP, Redwood NP, Acadia NP, Hawaii Volcanoes NP, Badlands NP, Capitol Reef NP, Mammoth Cave NP, Hot Springs NP, Guadalupe Mountains NP, Wind Cave NP and Cuyahoga Valley NP.
Falls
Yosemite NP, Grand Canyon NP, Sequoia & Kings Canyon NPs, Grand Teton NP, Mount Rainier NP, Zion NP, Rocky Mountain NP, Glacier NP, Denali NP & Preserve, Canyonlands NP, North Cascades NP, Shenandoah NP, Big Bend NP, Arches NP, Crater Lake NP, Haleakala NP and Pinnacles NP.
Environmental
Joshua Tree NP, Carlsbad Caverns NP, Saguaro NP, White Sands NP, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and Great Sand Dunes NP & Preserve.
Drownings
Olympic NP, Virgin Islands NP, Indiana Dunes NP, Wrangell-St. Elias NP & Preserve, Dry Tortugas NP, Biscayne NP, Channel Islands NP, Katmai NP & Preserve, Voyageurs NP, Lassen Volcanic NP and New River Gorge NP & Preserve.
Aircraft
Everglades NP, Glacier Bay NP & Preserve and Lake Clark NP & Preserve.
The following national parks had no accidental deaths listed during the period, according to the analysis:
Bryce Canyon NP, Congaree NP, Gates of the Arctic NP & Preserve, Gateway Arch NP, Great Basin NP, Isle Royale NP, Kenai Fjords NP, Kobuk Valley NP, Mesa Verde NP, NP of American Samoa, Petrified Forest NP and Theodore Roosevelt NP.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Oliver Pritchard.
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