The Deadliest National Parks In America

1. Grand Canyon - 134 Deaths 

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Located in Nevada, the Grand Canyon is the most dangerous national park in the world, with 134 people losing their lives at this site! Its a surprise that the main cause is not falls from the 100 metre drops to the base of the Canyon, its from complications due to the extreme heat.

2. Yosemite – 126 Deaths

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In the Sierra Nevada mountains of California sits Yosemite National Park. It is renowned for its enormous, historic sequoia trees. This national park is responsible for 126 deaths, fatalities have occurred frequently as a result of individuals attempting to take the ideal picture while being somewhat unaware of the hazards around them.

3. Great Smoky Mountains – 92 Deaths

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The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range in the southeast of the United States that rises along the Tennessee-North Carolina border and is the most visited National Park in the USA. With 92 deaths, the most common cause is from motor vehicle crashes!

4. Sequoia & Kings Canyon - 75 Deaths

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The high ridges and towering rock faces of Sequoia and Kings Canyons National Park have made it a well-liked destination for hikers and climbers alike, but those features have also been the scene of a few fatal tragedies. 75 have perished, the most recent in 2021, where a hiker fell 500 feet from Mt. Russell.

5. Yellowstone - 52 Deaths

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52 people have died at Yellowstone which spans a huge 2.2 million acres, is home to hundreds of animal species, and atop a volcanic hot spot. The causes include bear attacks, burns from falling into the hot springs, however the most common is drowning!

6. Denali - 51 Deaths

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Denali is the highest mountain peak in North America, and had a body count of 51. Seven climbers perished on Denali in the Mount McKinley disaster in July 1967 while attempting to descend from the top during a severe blizzard that was thought to be the worst to hit the mountain in a century.

7. Mount Rainier - 51 Deaths

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Tahoma, another name for Mount Rainier, is a major active stratovolcano that spawns five significant rivers. 51 people have died at this location, with climbing accidents accounting for 25% of those fatalities; the most recent casualty was a Canadian man whose body was discovered in 2022.

8. Rocky Mountains - 49 Deaths

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The Rocky Mountains stretch some 3,000 miles from British Columbia down to New Mexico in the U.S. This National Park has more than 4.5 million visitors annually and has had 49 deaths. Falls are the most common cause with one person even being poisoned.

9. Grand Teton - 48 Deaths

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You can explore more than 200 miles of trails, float the Snake River, and take in the tranquilly of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. With 48 recorded deaths, it is also possible to die. Most have died prematurely after falling in the difficult terrain.

10. Zion - 43 Deaths

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frembes.com

Zion National Park is a wildlife reserve in southwest Utah that is known for its cliff-like red formations in Zion Canyon. With 1,000 hikers every day, Angel's Landing is the most dangerous; 14 fatalities have been reported there since 2000, with 43 deaths recorded overall.

11. Death Valley - 41 Deaths

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A 3.4 million acre national park, Death Valley is a desert valley in eastern California. At this location, 41 people have died, largely from the intense heat. The bodies of four German tourists who went missing in 1996 and were known as The Death Valley Germans were never found.

12. Glacier - 40 Deaths

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In Montana's Rocky Mountains, Glacier National Park is a 1,583 square mile wilderness region that extend to the Canadian border. A terrible tragedy occurred in the park in 1969 when an avalanche on Mount Cleveland claimed the lives of five climbers. Falls and natural factors are other factors in the overall 40 deaths.

13. Olympic - 32 Deaths

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32 fatalities have been reported at Olympic National Park. based in the Pacific Northwest's Olympic Peninsula in Washington. The park covers a wide range of ecosystems. A tree collapsed on a Canadian man's tent in 2022, killing him while he was camping.

14. Shenandoah - 25 Deaths

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In the American state of Virginia, Shenandoah National Park stretches beside the Blue Ridge Mountains. There have been 25 reported deaths, with the double murder of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans in 1996 being the most well-known. On June 1, their remains were discovered at their Bridal Trail campground.

15. Joshua Tree - 24 Deaths

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There have been 24 documented deaths in the protected area of Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. Two deaths have already occurred in 2023, matching the number in 2022. One fell victim to a cardiac arrest, whilst the other fell and hit her head in Rattlesnake Canyon.

16. Big Bend - 22 Deaths

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Southwest Texas' Big Bend National Park encompasses the entire Chisos mountain range as well as a portion of the vast Chihuahuan Desert. Extreme weather is common in this region. There have been 22 fatalities here, with the most recent occurring in March 2023 when a hiker passed away from heat-related issues.

17. Virgin Islands - 22 Deaths

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The Virgin Islands National Park, which takes up the majority of St. John, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, also holds the distinction of being responsible for 22 fatalities. Considering that the Park is bordered by dangerous beaches and swimming areas, it is not unexpected that drowning ranks highly on the list of reasons.

18. Redwood - 21 Deaths

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There are 446K tourists per year who come to the Redwood National and State Parks, a chain of forested, sandy, and grassy areas that are all protected along the coast of Northern California. As the picturesque US 101 highway runs through the centre of the area, car accidents are one of the main factors which have resulted in 21 deaths.

19. Arcadia - 19 Deaths

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Acadia National Park is a 47,000-acre recreational area on Mount Desert Island in Maine along the Atlantic coast. There have been 19 deaths reported, with a number of causes including drowning and even suicide. A 17-year-old hiker who died in April 2023 after falling 25 feet was the most recent casualty.

20. Indiana Dunes - 19 Deaths

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Indiana is home to Indiana Dunes National Park, which is ranked as the 61st National Park in the US. The swimming areas at this location are without a doubt the riskiest part. 19 people have died, mostly from drowning because of the powerful rip current!

21. Cuyahoga Valley - 18 Deaths

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outsideonline.com

Between Cleveland and Akron in Ohio, the Cuyahoga River runs through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The story of Hillary Sharma, who vanished in 2014 and was later discovered floating in a river with a rope around her neck, is the most puzzling of the 18 deaths at the Park.

22. Saguaro - 15 Deaths

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Southern Arizona is home to the 92k-acre Saguaro National Park. The saguaro cactus, which is indigenous to the region's arid climate, inspired the area's name. There have been 15 deaths reported, with the primary causes being car accidents, natural causes, and environmental problems.

23. Everglades - 14 Deaths

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A 1.5 million acre wetland preserve on Florida's southernmost point is known as Everglades National Park. It is astonishing that there have only been 14 deaths considering the number of alligators that call the coastal mangroves and marshes, which are home to thousands of them, home.

24. Canyonlands - 13 Deaths

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Canyonlands National Park in southeast Utah is renowned for the Colorado River's stunning desert landscape carvings. There have been 13 fatalities here, with the most recent occurring in April 2023 when a man's body was discovered close to an abandoned car. At the moment, the cause of death remains unknown.

25. Channel Islands - 10 Deaths

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Five biologically diverse islands off the coast of Southern California makeup Channel Islands National Park, which was established in 1980. In this park, which can only be reached by boat or plane, drowning accounts for the majority of the 10 fatalities, although fatal falls have also been reported.

26. Hawaii Volcanoes - 9 Deaths

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theguardian.com

There are two active volcanoes in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which is situated on the island of Hawaii in the United States. The most horrific death on the list, with 9 total fatalities, involved a 75-year-old man whose body was discovered 100 feet below the crater rim after he plunged into a volcano.

27. Wrangell-St. Elias - 9 Deaths

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The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was passed in 1980, creating the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in south-central Alaska. In 2020, a grizzly bear attack resulted in a man being killed. Additionally, a hiker died in 2021 after falling, adding to the total of 9 fatalities.

28. Crater Lake - 8 Deaths

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Formed by Mount Mazama, a volcano that has since collapsed, Crater Lake National Park is famous for its eponymous lake. Although there have only been 8 fatalities at this park, people have been known to crash their cars, tumble off cliffs, and get stranded in snowstorms. Additionally, a handful of homicides have occurred in this park.

29. Biscayne - 8 Deaths

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In the northern Florida Keys, Biscayne National Park has mangrove shoreline forests, islets, and coral reefs. The majority of the 8 deaths were caused by drowning. Soon after leaving Black Point Marina in their 17-foot boat with a raft connected to the stern in 2009, a father and daughter's bodies were found in the water.

30. Mammoth Cave - 8 Deaths

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The 400-mile-long Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky is home to the world's longest known cave system. One of the safest national parks to visit, with only 8 fatality in its history. However, the FBI viewed the discovery of a woman's death at the Park in 2019 as suspicious.