KVSP Colorado woman dies after falling 500 feet at Rocky Mountain National Park: NPS
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on July 12, 2023
(NEW YORK) — A 26-year-old Boulder, Colorado, woman died after falling 500 feet while climbing a ridge at the Rocky Mountain National Park, park officials said Monday.
The woman was doing a free-solo climb at the site on Ypsilon Mountain when she fell on Sunday, according to the National Park Service.
Her 27-year-old hiking partner called park rangers, notifying them of the fall, officials said.
Members of the Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team requested a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter to help with removing her hiking partner, who was not hurt, NPS said.
The search and rescue team recovered the woman’s body on Monday morning, where she was flown to the Upper Beaver Meadows part of the park and then transported to the Larimer County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office, according to NPS.
The name of the woman will be released once her next of kin are informed, according to officials.
Rocky Mountain National Park covers about 415 square miles, or 265,807 acres of different mountain environments, including meadows to alpine lakes, and has more than 300 miles of hiking trails and areas to view wildlife, according to NPS.
Over four million hikers visit the park every year, making it one of the most visited parks within the National Park System, according to National Parks Conservation Association.
The incident is the second death at Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park in the past week.
A 25-year-old man from Rhode Island died after he fell and was pulled underwater at West Creek Falls in the park on July 2, the National Park Service said in a press release.
“Mountain rivers, streams, and waterfalls are running very cold and very fast this time of year,” NPS said in a statement. “The depth and current of all waterways can be deceivingly deep and swift. Park visitors are reminded to keep back from the banks of streams, rivers and waterfalls.”
In another tragic hiking incident, a 57-year-old woman was on an 8-mile hike in the remote area of Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park on July 2 when she lost consciousness as temperatures reached triple digits.
A park ranger pronounced her dead a day later, according to the National Park Service.
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