Death in Zion National Park: Stories of Accidents and Foolhardiness in Utah's Grand Circle

by Randi Minetor

Morbid, but strangely fascinating accounts

In 2015, a group of seven hikers were killed when a sudden flood struck Keyhole Canyon in Zion National Park. Prior to that, the steep, narrow route to Angels Landing led to at least five fatalities. Numerous people have found that high, exposed places in Zion—such as rim trails—are bad places to be in lightning storms. Death in Zion National Park collects some of the most gripping accounts in park history of the unfortunate events caused by natural forces or human folly.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Adventure, Nature, True Crime, History, Wilderness

216 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2017

About the author

Crisscrossing America since 1992 in a quest to see all 50 states (done!), 431 national parks (76 to go), and more than 700 species of birds (623 so far), Randi and Nic Minetor bring their expertise and their love of the wilderness, American history, and birding to readers who share their many passions. A working writer for more than 40 years, Randi is now the author of more than 80 books in print under her own name, and a number of ghostwritten books on a wide variety of topics.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Southern Utah is a beautiful place to visit. Zion's is the 4th most visited National Park, with 4.4 - 4.5 million visitors per a year. It is ranked the 10th most dangerous National Park. This book is a quick read. It is a rather morbid subject matter, but it is fascinating. It is like a car accident you can't look away from.
I will say that this book should serve as a cautionary tale to visitors; there is still NO cell phone service in or near the park--so you will not get weather alerts, so if in doubt don't go or turn back. Plus getting help will not be possible from your phone. Also Zion is severely understaffed, visitation has gone from 2.6 million to 4.5 million since 2010, yet the budget in 2021 is the same as the fiscal year 2010. Covid has also put additional strains on staffing the park. When we were there in October, literally every Ranger had "went home."
Interesting read. will look into some of the authors other works. Very well written & researched.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly my favorite weird subgenre of nonfiction. Minetor does a particularly good job of balancing juicy details, actually useful information, and compassion for the unfortunate people who lost their lives at the park.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read 2020
I picked this up for a re-read prior to a possible trip there in the spring. It's a good reminder to follow the signs and what the rangers tell you.

This was a different read, it goes through the people who died in the park, mostly through accident though there are a few suicides mentioned. Luckily, statistically, there are very few deaths compared to the number of people who go through Zion each year. The basic concept is if you follow the signs, stay within the allowed areas and know what you're doing if you're climbing or rappelling then you should be fine though of course accidents can happen.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short, interesting read that I bought at the store in Zion National Park which I recently visited. The deaths and accidents were described very factually which tended to get a bit dry after a while. The appeal for me was that I could sometimes picture the locales about which the author reported. I rounded up from 3.5 stars.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information. A great reminder to be more prepared than you think you need to be. Accidents happen to all kinds of people. It was heavy though and at times I felt like I was reading a compilation of obituaries. Sad sad stories that take place in one of my favorite places.

[Emily Ma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at Zion which was dope

[Olivia Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool look at the darker history of Zion! Read it on the plane ride home

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book as an impulse buy at a gift shop because I wanted to buy an ice cream with a credit card and I needed to buy something else to meet the $5 minimum. (And also because I'd just hiked the Narrows and wondered how many people had died there during flash floods.)

Now I've given a little too much thought about what it would be like to fall to your death.

[Blythe Beecroft · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may have been a dark take on the book club theme "Places we love" BUT I was morbidly curious.
You can definitely tell the author was meticulous in tracking down the details of every incident, but the writing on its own is not particularly compelling. I feel like these would be best read aloud around a campfire (again, dark). Definitely amused by all the instances when the author broke the fourth wall.
The whole book can essentially be summed up in the sentence "Zion can change in an instant from a beckoning wilderness to deadly landscape..." Would like the data on the connection between people who hike Kilimanjaro and then experience intense canyoneering accidents because this appeared to be a trend.

Lmk if anyone wants any survival tips from the lengthy epilogue on "how to survive in the park"

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Chronicle of Deaths & Dangers in Zion

Another excellent book from author Randi Minetor, this one covering deaths in Zion National Park. This book is a cautionary one, naming the various ways people have died in the park. Many are due to carelessness, ignoring ranger's advice and more. The author doesn't want to scare people away, but to inform them of the dangers that exist and to take special care. A book park goers and others interested should read.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I thought this book was very informative and very interesting. Knowing Zion, it was very interesting to read about so many different mishaps. Some of the stories were heartbreaking others were unbelievable. I am super glad I read this as I think it will help me learn to respect mother nature even more and to never casually hike and go through the motions- we always need to be vigilant especially in a place where bad things can happen.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun an interesting read if you're in to this sort of thing. Stories are truthfully told, though not as colorfully as some of the other "death in _____ national park" books. That may simply be due to other national parks having more incredible stories to tell, whereas these seemed pretty straight forward, if no less tragic or gruesome.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

My summary - laundry list of shorts stories of people who have died at Zion form the 1800s on. Falls off Angels’ landing, drowning in the Narrows, canyoneering accidents, a maybe murder at Observation Point, and an inexperienced accident in the Subway, as well as construction accidents, lightning strikes at a cable mountain, and crashes in the tunnel. Only one possible murder and no animal encounters.

My review - i wish there were more details about each of the deaths. They could’ve been beefed up with more stories, history, details, etc. i did like the ips. The deaths in the Narrows were the scariest because they were seemingly unavoidable.

[Gretchen Stokes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the other (3 or so) "death in xx national park" books I have read. The author seems to be stumbling over herself to apologize, for something: talking about death, not having the facts, making sure she never makes a presumption? I don't know, but it is a bit less human and less compelling for all the worry.

[Julie, · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic, but a rather dry presentation. I read it for research purposes. A tad disappointed he didn’t try to at least give the stories a little flare. It was more of a recitation of facts than stories at all.

[Chris Bedell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, informative read

If you're looking for a very tidy, quick summary of every visitor's death in Zion National Park, then this your book. Its extraordinarily researched and the author's source notes are, frankly, invaluable to those who want a deeper dive.

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read, good information to take away for a future visit, particularly the sand covering the slick rock. Kinda morbid, but fascinating.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This account of those who have died in the park was difficult to read but extremely interesting. How is it possible to feel both more and less safe at the same time...

[Kelly Whitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, this is the scariest national park. Just thinking about hiking Angels Landing can make me dizzy. Know your limits. Learn from others. But do visit and enjoy beautiful Zion.

[Jil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly just a retelling of news reports. Definitely makes you anxious if you are nervous about heights or falling.

[Cathy Calure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for anyone that hikes. You can never be to cautious.

[Pamela Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough and detailed.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent installation of deaths in the National Parks. The wilderness is vast, beautiful and above all wild. I'd love to visit Zion someday.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

No real storytelling or remembering those lost. The book recounts facts about each death and that is it.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not many stories to tell so wasn't nearly as developed as Death in Grand Canyon or Death in Yellowstone.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. I know the author tried to find further information on some cases but at times they were too short.

[Matthew Durrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting.

[Amanda Harbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morbid curiosity got the better of me here. Not sure what I expected - it was a quick read but not as morbidly fascinating as I thought it would be… I don’t know what that says about me….. 🤔

[Jenna Pedersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and informative. Read before my trip to Zion and it honestly helped ease my mind