Father and daughter run out of water and die amid triple-digit heat in Canyonlands National Park
According to park officials, the temperature at the time was over 100 degrees.
The entrance sign at the Island in the Sky entrance of Canyonlands National Park is viewed on October 5, 2023 near Moab, Utah. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
A father and his adult daughter died Friday while hiking in triple-digit temperatures in Utah's Canyonlands National Park, officials said.
The 52-year-old man and his 23-year-old daughter, from Green Bay, Wisconsin, were reported missing Friday after a hike on the Syncline Trail went awry. With temperatures soaring to triple digits in Moab, the region is grappling with extreme heat.
The National Park Service (NPS) received a distress signal via a 911 text from the park’s Island in the Sky district. According to park officials, the temperature at the time was over 100 degrees. Despite a prompt search by rangers and Bureau of Land Management Helitack personnel, the duo was found dead due to dehydration after their water ran out.
Sandstone mesas and red rock formations in the desert around the Shafer Basin near Moab, Utah. Meander Canyon and the Colorado River is at left. The Island in the Sky Mesa of Canyonlands National Park is behind. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
This incident adds to a series of heat-related fatalities at national parks in the western United States this summer, including deaths at Arizona’s Grand Canyon and a motorcyclist in California’s Death Valley, where temperatures hit 128 degrees.
The NPS and San Juan County Sheriff’s Office are conducting an investigation. Park authorities continue to urge visitors to take precautions against the heat, emphasizing the importance of avoiding hikes during the hottest part of the day and ensuring adequate water supply. The loss underscores the dangers of underestimating extreme weather conditions while exploring natural terrains.
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