How Abnormal Has Grand Canyon Death Toll Been in 2024?

There have been 14 deaths recorded at the Grand Canyon in 2024; how normal is that?

Hopi Point at the Grand Canyon. / Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

2024 has been a tough year at the Grand Canyon for casualties. Last week, a 60-year-old man was reported missing by his family after not reaching out to them during a solo backpacking trip.

Unfortunately, the day after the missing person’s report was filed, his body was found between Lower Tapeats Camp and Deer Creek Camp. He was traveling a 25-mile loop that could take someone four or five days to hike, so when he didn’t reach out, the family sought to find him help.

That man’s untimely death was the 14th reported at the Grand Canyon National Park this year. As arguably the most visited national park in the United States, it also comes with more deaths than other tourist attractions.

Increasing temperatures have put hikers in more dangerous situations who don’t prepare properly. Regularly breaking triple-digits, heat-related incidents and deaths happen.

Mix the extreme heat with monsoon season, which runs from June through the end of September in the region, and it can be a recipe for disaster. The flooding is very dangerous as well, as 33-year-old Chenoa Nickerson’s body was found after being swept away earlier in August.

Over the last 17 years, there isn’t a park that has seen more casualties than the Grand Canyon. When taking into account the high number of visitors, it isn’t in the top 10 most dangerous parks in terms of casualties.

But, the sheer number of deaths that have occurred has people wondering if this is out of the norm. Accidents do happen and there are several there every year. If people are not taking the necessary precautions, things can become dangerous.

However, while the number of deaths being reported can be jarring, 14 is still inside the average range. Between 10-15 casualties are reported every year; last year, there were 11 reports of people dying in the park.

Unless there is another string as we noticed in August, when six people died, 2024 can still be an average year of casualties at the Grand Canyon. In fact, it could end up being on the lower end.

According to the National Park Service’s mortality data, 26 deaths occurred inside the park in 2014. 14, 14 and 19 were the death tolls in the following three years.

As shared by Mary Beth “Mouse” Skylis of Backpacker, there are risks involved in traveling to these places, but they aren’t overly dangerous when heeding information shared to stay safe.

Overall, traveling in national parks isn’t especially deadly: In 2018, the NPS estimated it saw less than one death per million visitors. While there are inherent risks associated with hiking to remote corners of the country, staying informed and learning about the specific dangers that a national park may present could help visitors to stay safe while enjoying public lands.