Man dies on popular trail while hiking out of Grand Canyon

A male hiker died Sunday inside Grand Canyon National Park.

The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report on June 16 at 6:45 a.m. of a hiker who was unresponsive on the Bright Angel Trail, about 0.5 miles east of the Pipe Creek River Resthouse, according to the National Park Service.

All attempts by bystanders and National Park Service personnel to resuscitate the individual were unsuccessful. The hiker was a 41-year-old male who was hiking out of the canyon from an overnight stay at the Bright Angel Campground near Phantom Ranch.

An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the NPS in coordination with the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

Hiker fatalities are not uncommon in the Arizona park.

Deaths in 2023

— In November, a 65-year-old Arizona hiker died on the Bright Angel Trail, about 1.5 miles north of Havasupai Gardens.

— In September, a 55-year-old Virginia man died in the Grand Canyon while trying to hike from the South Rim to the North Rim.

— In July, a 57-year-old woman died while on an eight-mile hike in triple-digit heat.

— In May, an Indiana woman died on the Bright Angel Trail.

Hiking at the Grand Canyon can be deceiving. The temperature at the South Rim, where 90% of all visitors go, is about 20 degrees cooler than at the bottom. The temperature at Phantom Ranch along the Colorado River easily can top 100 degrees in summer.