Zion National Park hiker rescued after falling from trail, being impaled

May 15-A hiker's serious fall from a steep trail in Zion National Park makes three falls in the last month at the popular southwest destination. The first two Zion hikers who fell died from their injuries, but the third, who reportedly fell 35 feet, was rescued and transported to a local hospital, according to park spokesperson Matt Fink.

"At approximately 1:25 p.m. on May 8, 2026, Zion National Park received a report of a hiker accidentally falling from the Kayenta Trail," Fink told SFGATE by email. "First responders were immediately dispatched to the scene and began administering medical care."

At around 3:20 p.m., the hiker was hoisted by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter to the Zion Lodge helispot, Fink continued. From there, Intermountain Life Flight took the hiker to the hospital. The Kayenta Trail, which runs about a mile along the Virgin River before rising to the Upper and Lower Emerald Pools, was closed during the rescue, but it reopened at around 3:35 p.m., Fink wrote.

According to St. George News, the injured hiker may have suffered broken bones, and his left leg was "reportedly impaled by a branch that medical personnel on the ground decided not to remove during transport, according to Intermountain Flight audio dispatch."

The incident follows the April 22 death of William Lewis, a 43-year-old from Hillsborough on the San Francisco Peninsula, who was hiking in Spry Canyon when he fell. Just five days prior, 68-year-old Gilberto Ramos of Laredo, Texas, slipped on the famous cable section of Angels Landing, falling more than 1,000 feet to his death.

Zion averages around three deaths per year, with slips and falls being the most common cause, according to national park statistics from 2007 to 2025.

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