A California woman died in a fall Sunday from the popular site in Zion National Park known as Angels Landing.
The victim, 55-year-old Nancy Maltez of Glendora, California, was reported to be hiking with family members early Sunday when she fell at about 8:30 a.m. The accident was reported by another hiker by cell phone.
She was believed to have stumbled and fallen from the north side of Angels Landing. Media reports indicate she fell a distance of about 1,000 feet, and search-and-rescue crews reached her body before noon.
The West Rim Trail from the Grotto to Scout Lookout, along with climbing routes on the north side of Angels Landing, are temporarily closed while an investigation by the park and the Washington County Sheriff's Department is completed.
There has been considerable discussion on theTraveler in recent months about the safety of the Angels Landing Trail. Prior to today's incident, the most recent fatal fall at that location was in 2007.
The park website includes the following information in a description of the Angels Landing Trail:
Caution: The route to Angels Landing involves travel along a steep, narrow ridge with support chains anchored intermittently along the route. Footing can be slippery even when the rock is dry Unevenly surfaced steps are cut into the rock with major cliff dropoffs adjacent. Keep off when it is wet, icy or thunderstorms are in the area. Plan to be off before dark. Younger children should skip this trail; older children must be closely supervised.
This accident will almost certainly revive the debate about the safety of the popular trail. According to the park website, "about 5 people" have died due to falls from Angels Landing in the 100 years since the park was established, but it is not the most dangerous trail in the park. Emerald Pools holds that unwelcome distinction with seven victims.
Comments
i hiked angels landing in sept 2009 after travelling to zion from the uk,it was without doubt the most exiting hike i have done and would look forward to doing it again, it was so refreashing to be able to enjoy this adventure in your gorgeous park without been dictated to by some goverment official like we constantly are in the uk. I feel this hike has plenty warning notices, and any official interferance would distract greatly from the challenge of the hike.My sympathy of course goes to anyone who has lost a loved one on this hike,but there is no life without risk
I'm the son of Nancy Maltez, the woman who fell. In response to your comment of "irresponsible hikers," I just thought you should know that my family grew up on these trails. I'm only 15 and I've been on Angel's Landing about 8 times. My mother has traveled the world and has been to at least 15 national parks in the U.S. My mother was the most careful person and hiker. So don't make accusations you know nothing about. She was a great woman and how dare you say she was irresponsible. You know nothing about the circumstances and what happened there. You ONLY know what the media has told you. You have no right to make any assumptions.
I spend a considerable amount of time in rugged, remote areas and feel fairly comfortable making tough traverses, but I only made it halfway on the Angel's Landing trail before I turned around. That there aren't fatalities weekly is very surprising to me - I left the area as soon as possible so that I wouldn't have to see someone plunge off the side.
That there are any fatalities doesn't speak to people's irresponsibility in my opinion, rather, it speaks of the trail really pushing the limits of being safe at all. If one feels comfortable clamoring on the side of a cliff next to a 1000 foot drop without being tied in - have at it! It's completely absurd to me.
I just returned from my first visit to Zion. It was a free admission weekend in the park and the trails were very busy. 100's of people were on the last .5 mile part, including young children and even parents carrying young babies.
I am a young, fit, experienced hiker/climber. I took one look at the trail, felt a few strong wind gusts, and said to myself "no way". That trail is clearly only safe if you have climbing gear/harnesses to ensure fall protection.
As the previous poster said, I too am surprised there isn't weekly fatalities. I think the parks service should continue to leave the trail open but make it more clear that this trail is not for the average tourist. On the day I was there, the constant stream of people made it very easy to falsely believe that because so many people were on it, that it "must be safe".
@Dave - The trail up to Angels Landing is 100% man made, which I would argue is "official interferance [sic]" at its highest - heck, there are chains to hold on to! Everything in Zion Canyon is "dictated to by some goverment [sic] official"!! I would bet that it's partly that feeling of false security which leads people into risky situations in the first place.
If you want to try your hand at tackling a route that is truly untouched, you need experience... lots of experience.
Along the Kern river in Southern California, there are signs showing the current count of swimmers who have died there. I think this would be a great way to exemplify the danger at a place like Angels Landing.
I'm very sorry about your sister. I just returned from Angel's Landing. 2nd time there in 11 months. It's a little bit of Heaven on Earth.
I took the hike for the first time on Saturday (5-15-10) and loved it. There appeared to be condors a fair distance off. I decided to return the next day with binoculars. This time the condors flew right overhead. They were so amazing.
The first day on the trail there were a lot of very respectful and courteous people. The second day there were more large groups and more impatient youngsters - college age super heroes :) - I remember the attitude. One young dad had his baby on his back and was coming up at the front end of several groups, Several other groups were coming down. I got caught in the middle in the one area between chains, on a saddle that is the most exposed. Nobody was being courteous or tolerant and it ended up looking like I-5 just outside of LA. The dad decided to push through the strung out crowd of 25 hikers. Just as he got close to me he momentarily lost his balance as the baby pack shifted. He tilted back, but was able to stabilize himself. I was half ready to reach out and half ready to pull back. Had he fallen, I would have hated him for the rest of my life for putting me in that predicament. People just need to be more thoughtful no matter where they are hiking.
Day 2 I was definitely feeling spaghetti-legged, but enjoyed the trail. If you get the chance at least make it up to the base of the last ascent. It is an amazingly beautiful place in God's country.
My adult daughter and I just returned from Zion where we hiked up to Scout's Landing, then decided to trust our instincts and not go farther. I was horrified to see a dad instructing what looked to be a four-year-old on how to grasp the chains. It's one thing to make that decision for yourself and another to put a child in that position. Do the words "hazardous" and "treacherous" mean nothing?
We also saw a condor sitting in the pine at the top and watched a "nature lover" clap his hands to make it extend its wings, which it did as it took off. I think the rest of the people watching it were quite content to return its gaze.