Video: Over 200 people died in national parks last year —which was deadliest site?
Every year, roughly 311 million people visit America’s national parks every year. A small number of them never leave.
Data collected by the Public Risk Management Program from the National Park Service system shows that between 2014 and early April 2023, more than 2,600 visitors died in national parks, The Hill reported.
In 2022, 204 people died. However, the deadliest years in that nine-year period were both 2017 and 2019, when 320 died across two dozen national park sites.
The leading cause of death — after “not reported” — was motor vehicle crashes, which was responsible for 37 deaths across more than two dozen national park sites.
Deaths caused by wildlife or animals were among the rarest over the same period. No death in 2022 was listed as being caused by wildlife or animals, The Hill reported.
Here are the five deadliest national parks in 2022, as well as their leading cause of death, with the exception of deaths with unreported causes:
| Park | Number of Deaths | Leading Cause of Death (Total) |
| Lake Mead National Recreation Area | 21 | Motor vehicle crashes and drownings (7 each) |
| National Mall & Memorial Parks | 9 | Environmental (4) |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 9 | Motor vehicle crashes and drownings (2 each) |
| Baltimore-Washington Parkway | 9 | Motor vehicle crashes (7) |
| Yosemite National Park | 8 | Motor vehicle crashes (2) |
Based on death-to-visitor rate, these are the five deadliest parks of 2022:
| Park | Deaths | Visitors | Rate |
| Clara Barton National Historic Site | 1 | 673 | 0.1486% |
| North Cascades National Park | 3 | 30,154 | 0.0099% |
| Virgin Islands National Park | 4 | 196,752 | 0.0020% |
| Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River | 5 | 270,718 | 0.0018% |
| Dry Tortugas National Park | 1 | 78,488 | 0.0013% |
All five of the national parks with the highest number of fatalities had death-to-visitor rates of 0.0005% or less, The Hill reported.
