Hiker dies at Texas national park as daily temperatures top 100 degrees, rangers say

A hiker died at a Texas national park as daily temperatures began to top 100 degrees, rangers said.

The 53-year-old woman set out Monday, March 28, to hike the Hot Springs Canyon Trail, a 6-mile trek that follows the Rio Grande to a hot spring, the National Park Service said in a news release.

It was the woman ’s first trip to Big Bend National Park with her family, park officials said.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m., park rangers received a call that the hiker was experiencing “medical distress.” The team performed CPR for over an hour, but it was not successful.

“Big Bend National Park staff and partners are saddened by this loss,” Deputy Superintendent David Elkowitz said in the release. “Our entire park family extends sincere condolences to the hiker’s family and friends.”

Rangers said daily temperatures within the park are starting to top 100 degrees.

“As the hotter months approach, Park Rangers wish to remind all visitors to be aware of the dangers of extreme heat,” park rangers said. “Hikers should be prepared to carry and drink one gallon of water per day, and to plan on being off desert trails by noon.”

Park officials did not identify the woman or a cause of death.

Big Bend National Park encompasses more than 801,000 acres in West Texas, nearly 450 miles from San Antonio.

This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 1:34 PM with the headline "Hiker dies at Texas national park as daily temperatures top 100 degrees, rangers say."