10-year study ranks Zion, Bryce Canyon among nation’s most dangerous national parks; how to be prepared

Bryce Canyon National Park Search and Rescue and Garfield County Search and Rescue teams on a rescue mission on Navajo Loop | Photo provided by Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce, Utah, unspecified date, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — National parks can be perilous places for the unprepared, which has been further detailed in a recent study conducted by Outforia, who rated four Utah parks among the most dangerous parks in the United States.

Search and Rescue response with Garfield County and Bryce Canyon National Park teams | Photo provided by Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce, Utah, unspecified date, St. George News

Outforia, an online resource for outdoors enthusiasts, analyzed National Park Service data in order to rate the danger of each park based on how many search and rescue operations occurred in the last 10 years. With 285 search and rescue incidents over that time period, Zion National Park was rated as the sixth most dangerous national park in America.

Following Zion, Glen Canyon National Park was rated as the seventh most dangerous national park, with 279 search and rescue incidents. Utah’s Arches National Park is the 10th most hazardous national park with 202 search and rescue incidents.

A little further down the line, Bryce Canyon National Park was rated as the 42nd most dangerous park.

Peter Densmore, visual information specialist for Bryce Canyon National Park, said in 2021, Bryce Canyon had 35 search and rescues, which was around an average of 40 search and rescue incidents a year. Over the last five years, annual incidents have decreased, thanks mainly to the park’s Preventative Search and Rescue Program, he added.

 “We typically maintain a team of around 10 seasonal staff and volunteers who patrol park trails and viewpoints to interact with visitors, promote safe practices and assist visitors who might require a full search and rescue operation were it not for their early intervention,” Densmore said.

In 2021, Bryce Canyon’s search and rescue team assisted 177 hikers for dehydration and elevated-related symptoms. Typically, the group provides extra water, food, basic medical help and support when visitors need assistance to finish their hike. The team averages about 250 “hiker assists” a year.

Search and Rescue response in Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce, Utah | Photo provided by Bryce Canyon National Park, Bryce, Utah, unspecified date, St. George News

“The advice that we give all of our visitors is the best thing that they can do is to plan ahead and to do it as thoroughly as they can,” Densmore said. “Our campaign over the last year or so is to plan like a park ranger, and it encourages people to kind of break up their trip into a few stages.”

Densmore said the first step takes place before the trip and entails planning and viewing the park’s website one will be visiting. Read advice and take note of the park’s available resources. Talk to other people that maybe have visited the park. Recreators are also encouraged to engage with the park’s community on social media to get more questions answered.

The second step is to be aware that national parks like Bryce Canyon have seen a considerable increase in visitors, and there are more search and rescue incidents in the park during the busy seasons. For example, this park has seen above 2 million visitors in the last five years, which has led to an increase in search and rescue with that correlation.

“Bryce Canyon is very fortunate to have a robust preventative search and rescue program. It typically employs around 10 people during our peak season that are out on our hiking trails interacting with visitors,” Densmore said, adding that their search and rescue team tries to meet visitors where they’re at to identify any deficiencies in their planning and prevent any potential issues

Third, visitors should bring extra water, be mindful of wearing appropriate footwear and ensure they know where they’re going.

Fourth, recreators should research things like reservations and details on the specific activities they might want to do. Some activities include camping, horseback riding, backpacking or backcountry camping. Bryce Canyon doesn’t have any advanced reservation system for simply entering the park.

Fifth, arriving at the park is the next phase of the planning. Densmore encourages visitors to engage with the park rangers and ask questions. Also, the public should pay attention and read park signage and also know their physical limitations.

“Visitors need to look after their own needs, understand what those are and plan for them … so that they don’t put themselves in potentially dangerous situations,” Densmore added. 

Bryce Canyon has particular challenges other parks don’t face because of its elevation. Many visitors don’t consider it high elevation before they travel. Even coming from nearby Zion National Park, there is an increase of another 4000 feet in elevation. This height increase takes even more toll on people traveling from sea level, Densmore said. 

“Bryce Canyon elevation is often involved in most of our search and rescues. Whether it’s dehydration, elevation exhaustion or heart issues, altitude can affect people in a variety of ways. Altitude sickness itself, nausea and the symptoms that come with that. Also, sunburn happens as the UV radiation is more intense here at this elevation,” Densmore said.

Another safety concern when visiting Bryce Canyon is cold temperatures and snow, but neighboring parks may be warmer. Weather affects driving conditions. Also, the monsoon thunderstorms develop in July and August. The monsoons bring heavy lightning to the park at the popular viewpoints and trails. 

“These are the kinds of things you can learn about by exploring our website and following us on social media as part of your trip planning process,” he said. “After your visit, share your photos, get involved on our posts. Leave comments for other visitors. It can build a community that helps the people who may be still planning to think about things they might not otherwise have.”

Densmore credits the Garfield County Search and Rescue with assisting the park’s team, “We’re very lucky to have a volunteer team in the local community.” 

At Zion National Park, officials remind visitors that conditions can transform rapidly in an email to St. George News.

“We’re looking forward to seeing everyone who will be visiting us this year. Conditions at Zion can change quickly, so we encourage everyone to plan like a park ranger and be sure to check current conditions before getting to the park,” Jonathan Shafer said. “Your safety is your responsibility, and you can get great information before you arrive by checking our websiteTwitterFacebook, and the NPS App.”

There are 423 sites within the National Park System. Each park posts current conditions, road closures and information like downloadable maps online. Visitors to the parks need to be responsible for their safe trips

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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