North Carolina hiker dies at Grand Canyon National Park during solo trek, believed to be 6th fatality in weeks

A 60-year-old North Carolina man was found dead in Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park on Wednesday after embarking on a solo hike, park officials said.

The backpacker, whose name was not released publicly, was located on a rugged and remote trail along the Colorado River that connects the Lower Tapeats and Deer Creek camps, the National Park Service (NPS) said.

He had set off on a solo multi-day backpacking trip from Thunder River to Deer Creek, and was reported missing on Tuesday after failing to check in with a family member, according to NPS.

NPS and the Coconino County Medical Examiner are investigating the incident. No further details were immediately available.

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The hiker is believed to be the sixth person to die at the park in less than a month and the 14th this year. Park officials reported 11 fatalities in 2023 and said there are usually about 10 to 15 deaths per year.

The Thunder River Trail in Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park takes hikers along Tapeats Creek, as seen in the above photo. (NPS Photo/E. Foss, File)

The previous deaths include an 80-year-old man who authorities say died last Sunday on a commercial river trip after falling from a boat into the river near Fossil Rapid, and a 33-year-old woman who was also found that day after a flash flood swept her away while hiking Aug. 22.

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A 20-year-old New Mexico woman was found Aug. 8 below Twin Overlooks; a 43-year-old Missouri man died Aug. 1 while attempting a prohibited BASE jump from Yavapai Point; and a 20-year-old North Carolina man fell to his death July 31 at the South Rim.

It is believed that the hiker’s death is the sixth fatality at Grand Canyon National Park in less than a month and the 14th death this year. (Jim Lane/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)

The park is also facing unprecedented breaks in its only water pipeline that has forced hotels to shut down overnight stays within the park.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.