Three hikers have died from apparent heat-related illnesses in the Grand Canyon National Park over the past week, officials confirmed Friday. The deaths occurred on two separate days along the South Kaibab and North Kaibab trails, where temperatures can exceed 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) in the shade during midday hours.
A 72-year-old man became ill on June 12 while hiking the South Kaibab Trail and died before rescue crews could reach him. Four days later, a 67-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman also appeared to suffer from heat-related illnesses while hiking the North Kaibab Trail and died before help arrived, the U.S. National Park Service said in a statement.
Despite a rapid response and aerial support, all three hikers were dead by the time first responders reached them, the park service said. The Grand Canyon has seen an uptick in heat-related illnesses in recent weeks and urged inner canyon hikers to stay off trails between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., park officials said.
The bodies were taken to the Coconino County Medical Examiner office, and investigations of the deaths are ongoing, the National Park Service said.
Rising Heat-Related Risks
Summer temperatures in the park’s inner canyon, which includes everything below the rim in the nearly 2,000 square mile park, can reach 109 degrees in the shade during the midday hours, the park said. The park warned visitors Thursday to limit strenuous hiking below the rim between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Data provided by the park service shows there were 34 “unintentional” deaths at the park between 2014 and 2019. That category includes heat-related fatalities, though the data does not specify how many. The leading cause of death within the category were falls, the data shows.
An NBC News analysis of National Park Service fatality data between 2007 and 2021 found the Grand Canyon had the 20th highest death rate in the park system, well behind the deadliest — Washington State’s North Cascades National Park. The Grand Canyon was one of the most popular national parks in the country in 2025, with more than 4 million visitors.