The recent tragedy in Zion National Park where three people were killed and four others went missing after flood waters swept them away while hiking is a terrible thing, but should not cast a shadow over the potential for exploration of these scenic places. The incident happened in Utah’s Zion National Park, and involved a situation where the hiking group was within a slot canyon when flash flood waters suddenly swept them away. There has been some criticism of park officials for not closing the park canyons for hiking earlier, however this case followed the standard procedure of providing weather warnings to the hikers as they picked up their permit for the day, as well as closing the slot canyons once weather reached a point that it would be considered dangerous. The hiking team had left before the weather warnings reached the critical level, and thus were out in the canyon at the point of closure.
While this is a tragic incident, it should be noted that exploration and hiking in our National Parks is actually quite safe, and statistics prove that enjoyment of these spaces provides only a minuscule amount of deaths per year compared to the actual number of visitors. For example, statistics show that there have been a total of 1,025 deaths in all National Parks combined between the years of 2007 and 2013. When compared to the billions of people who traveled to these parks and enjoyed them without incident, it is easily seen that they are far safer than it appears when stories like this most recent one surface. When compared against mortality rates of the general population (835 per 100,000 people in 2013) you can actually see that exploring our country’s national parks is actually far safer than just going about daily life on the streets of the United States.
While the news coverage of the tragedy at Zion National Park will undoubtedly be negative and attempt to spin the exploration and travel to National Parks as a dangerous activity, our long history of enjoyment of these spaces proves quite the contrary. Even though you are enjoying a space that is less developed and more primitive than you would see in a city, the preparation that takes place previous to venturing out into areas with little as far as services goes actually creates a safer environment than you have on a day to day basis. Tour companies which provide tours to national parks also go to extra lengths to assure the safety of their passengers, making sure there is ample food and water as well as medical care and other potential incident prevention. Our experienced guides understand not only how to provide knowledge about the area you are visiting, but how to avoid the potentially dangerous aspects of the area. For this reason, our suggestion is always to explore our natural spaces and national parks with a qualified guide or lead, so that you have an experienced person who is familiar with the area to minimize mistakes. Exploring our national parks is one of the greatest gifts that this country provides to us, and staying safe while doing it is our responsibility.