Climber falls up to 200 feet to his death at Zion National Park, Utah rangers say

A 40-year-old man died after falling 150 to 200 feet in a Zion National Park canyon in Utah on a canyoneering expedition, rangers reported.

The man, part of a party of four, fell while climbing in Heaps Canyon at about 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, the national park said in a news release.

Rescuers and Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to aid the man, rangers said.

A helicopter moved the man to a more accessible location, where he was pronounced dead before an ambulance could take him to a hospital, rangers said.

Two of the three remaining canyoneers were retrieved by helicopter on Sunday, Oct. 6, and the third rappelled down the canyon with help from rescuers, rangers said.

An investigation into the fall continues, rangers said. The man’s identity has not been publicly released.

Canyonering is a sport in which participants explore canyons using a mix of “hiking, scrambling, sliding, stemming, chimneying and rappelling,” Outward Bound reported.

Zion National Park, which covers 232 square miles, is about a 270-mile drive southwest from Salt Lake City. More than 5 million people a year visit the park, rangers said.