BASE Jumper Dies After Falling 500 Feet in Grand Canyon National Park

On Thursday, August 1, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of a visitor who had attempted a BASE jump from Yavapai Point on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

Park rangers responded and located the body of a deceased male approximately 500 feet below the rim, along with a deployed parachute, the park said in a statement.

Recovery teams were able to reach the victim this morning. The body was transported to the rim by helicopter and subsequently transferred to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The National Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office are conducting an investigation into the incident. The name of the victim is being withheld pending positive identification. No further information is available at this time.

BASE jumping, a high-risk activity involving parachuting from fixed objects, is prohibited in all areas of Grand Canyon National Park.

For everyone’s safety, Grand Canyon National Park staff encourage all visitors to have a safe visit by staying on designated trails and walkways, always keeping a safe distance of at least six feet (2 m) from the edge of the rim, and staying behind railings and fences at Grand Canyon overlooks.

This incident occurred just one day after another visitor fell to his death near the Pipe Creek Overlook.

Falls are responsible for just over 9% of all deaths in the National Park System. You can read more about how people die in national parks here.

Besides the risk of falling when getting too close to the rim, Grand Canyon National Park also presents other dangers to visitors. Particularly dangerous are the high temperatures down in the canyon, which claim lives pretty much every year. This summer alone, no fewer than three hikers have died while hiking in the Grand Canyon.