Yosemite is one of the deadliest national parks in the US and there's one main reason

Bryant-Jon Anteola, The Sacramento Bee on Jan 17, 2025

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Yosemite National Park is a popular place to take in picturesque views and marvelous waterfalls, as well as enjoy a variety of outdoor adventures, including hiking.

But did you know Yosemite also is considered one of the deadliest national parks in the United States?

According to data collected from personal injury firm Malloy Law Offices, the national park in Central California ranks as the third deadliest national park in the country with 125 fatal incidents from 2014 to 2023.

Of those fatal incidents, 42 were related to falling.

“Yosemite’s rocky landscapes can deceive even the most experienced hikers,” attorney Seann Malloy said. “Staying cautious and properly equipped is essential, particularly near ledges and waterfalls.”

The data, which stems from public records and reports from the National Park Service (NPS), shows each national park’s fatal incidents from 2014 to 2023 and tracks incidents such as drownings, motor vehicle accidents, and medical emergencies within park boundaries.

Each park’s records reveal the primary causes of fatalities, providing a breakdown of the number and types of incidents at each location. The parks are ranked here based on the total number of reported incidents, highlighting the deadliest parks in terms of both environmental and activity-based risks.

Only Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Grand Canyon National Park rank higher than Yosemite in number of park deaths with 204 and 134 fatalities, respectively.

A third of the deaths at Lake Mead were related to drowning while a chunk of the fatalities at the Grand Canyon were tied to falls.

At Yosemite, tourists trying to take selfies near waterfalls has been one of the reasons for deaths in the park.

One of them occurred in 2019 and drew attention world wide. That was when Tomer Frankfurter, an 18 year-old from Jerusalem, tried taking a photo of himself with 594-foot-high Nevada Fall in Yosemite and instead fell to his death.

This past summer, a group of visitors jumped a barrier at the top of the Vernal Fall. Video posted on social media showed some visitors posing for a photo at the edge of a 317-foot drop.

And as recently as November, another visitor was caught on video sitting toward the edge of a river stream, which was later identified as the drop point of Vernal Fall.

The Yosemite visitor sitting at the edge of Vernal Fall can be seen staring into their own cellphone, likely to shoot photos of videos.

Yosemite rangers advise visitors to not climb over barriers out of safety precaution.

But it’s not just taking dangerous photos that have led to deaths at Yosemite.

According to a National Park Service dashboard that tracked deaths by the top five recreational activities, hiking led to the most fatalities with 25 at Yosemite from from 2014-2019.

Climbing resulted in 16 deaths, followed by six deaths from driving, four from photographing and four from walking.

It’s advised that those would want to enjoy the mountainous outdoors to wear appropriate hiking footwear, be familiar with any trails and remain within the designated paths.

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