Grand Canyon officials urge caution after seventh death in two months

GRAND CANYON (KTNV) — For the seventh time in less than two months, someone has died in Grand Canyon National Park.

On Saturday morning, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call from Poncho's Kitchen, located near river mile 137 on the Colorado River.

When rangers arrived at the scene, they found 59-year-old Patrick Horton, a native of Salida, Colorado, on the tenth day of a non-commercial river trip on the Colorado River when he was found dead by other members of his group.

The National Park Service is conducting an investigation in coordination with the Coconino County Coroner's Office. The cause and manner of death have not been released.

According to previous NPS data, Lake Mead National Recreation Area is the national park with the most deaths, with 145 deaths reported between 2014 and 2021. That's about 18.5 deaths per year. Grand Canyon National Park was second on the list with 97 deaths and normally averages about 12 deaths per year.