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America’s Deadliest National Parks

America’s Deadliest National Parks

National parks are bound to be on millions of people’s vacation bucket lists. Some offer breathtaking views or aquatic recreation, while others provide a chance to see wild animals like bison, elk, marmots, and even grizzly bears. But these vacation hotspots can spell danger for avid outdoors people and ill-prepared travelers alike. 

Many parks feature sheer cliffs and deep canyons, where a single misstep could lead to a fatal fall. Others contain remote and expansive tracts of wilderness with no cell service, where getting lost could lead to dehydration, starvation, or severe exposure. (Here are the national parks with the best and worst mobile service.)

While visiting national parks – and other sites maintained by the National Park Service – may yield happy memories (and killer Instagram images), it can also be fatal. To compile a list of America’s deadliest national parks, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the latest data available on fatalities between 2007 and 2021 from the National Park Service. Data was collected by the NPS Public Risk Management Program (PRMP). PRMP aggregates data from NPS systems that are updated continuously. Data is current as of late April 2023. The list includes all parks and related venues in which more than 30 deaths occurred in the time period covered.

Some of the deadliest parks, including Lake Mead National Recreation Area, are largely centered around a body of water, where drownings are the most common cause of death. Others, like the Natchez Trace Parkway, feature miles of roadway where car accidents are not uncommon. Still others that feature canyons or high mountain peaks are the sites of dozens of deaths by falling or environmental exposure.

Deaths from natural or medical causes are also common, and while they may have more to do with a person’s pre-existing conditions, extreme heat or fatigue can often factor into these fatalities. On the other hand, deaths due to animal attacks are extremely rare. (These are the states where you’re most likely to be killed by an animal or bug.)

Source: Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

28. Olympic National Park, Washington
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 32
> Leading cause of death in Olympic National Park, 2007-2021: Medical causes (9)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Drowning (6)

Source: Conrad J Camit / iStock / Getty Images Plus

27. Point Reyes National Seashore, California
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 33
> Leading cause of death at Point Reyes National Seashore, 2007-2021: Drowning (16)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (8)

Source: Doug Kerr/ Wikimedia Commons

26. Suitland Parkway, Washington, D.C. (roadway administered by the National Park Service)
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 34
> Leading cause of death on Suitland Parkway, 2007-2021: Motor vehicle crash (29)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (4)

Source: glenirah / Flickr

25. Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 37
> Leading cause of death in Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, 2007-2021: Drowning (26)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (4)

Source: OakleyOriginals / Wikimedia Commons

24. Buffalo National River, Arkansas
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 37
> Leading cause of death at Buffalo National River, 2007-2021: Drowning (18)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Motor vehicle crash (8)

Source: alchemist_x / Flickr

23. National Mall & Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C.
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 40
> Leading cause of death in National Mall & Memorial Parks, 2007-2021: Undetermined (24)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Medical causes (7)

Source: mobili / Flickr

22. New River Gorge National River, West Virginia
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 44
> Leading cause of death at New River Gorge National River, 2007-2021: Drowning (29)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (6)

Source: Jon Farmer / iStock via Getty Images

21. Glacier National Park, Montana
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 46
> Leading cause of death in Glacier National Park, 2007-2021: Drowning, fall (11 each)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Medical causes (10)

Source: Art Wager / E+ via Getty Images

20. Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 46
> Leading cause of death in Death Valley National Park, 2007-2021: Motor vehicle crash (14)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (11)

Source: Tim Speer / iStock via Getty Images

19. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 46
> Leading cause of death in Rocky Mountain National Park, 2007-2021: Fall (23)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Medical causes (8)

Source: chaselindberg / Flickr

18. Zion National Park, Utah
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 52
> Leading cause of death in Zion National Park, 2007-2021: Fall (30)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (8)

Source: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons

17. Baltimore-Washington Parkway (roadway partially administered by the National Park Service)
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 58
> Leading cause of death on Baltimore-Washington Parkway, 2007-2021: Motor vehicle crash (57)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (1)

Source: benedek / E+ via Getty Images

16. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 60
> Leading cause of death in Grand Teton National Park, 2007-2021: Fall (26)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Environmental (11)

Source: andykazie / iStock via Getty Images

15. Gateway National Recreation Area, New York and New Jersey
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 60
> Leading cause of death in Gateway National Recreation Area, 2007-2021: Undetermined (24)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Drowning (16)

Source: rabbit75_ist / iStock via Getty Images

14. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, New Jersey and Pennsylvania border
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 61
> Leading cause of death in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, 2007-2021: Drowning (35)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Motor vehicle crash (16)

Source: tiny-al / iStock via Getty Images

13. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 63
> Leading cause of death in Yellowstone National Park, 2007-2021: Motor vehicle crash (17)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Medical causes (13)

Source: Drew Green / iStock via Getty Images

12. Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 63
> Leading cause of death in Denali National Park & Preserve, 2007-2021: Fall (23)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Environmental (19)

Source: Drew Payne / iStock via Getty Images

11. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington 
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 68
> Leading cause of death in Mount Rainier National Park, 2007-2021: Fall (25)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Environmental (15)

Source: Jens_Lambert_Photography / iStock via Getty Images

10. Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 70
> Leading cause of death at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, 2007-2021: Drowning (50)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (9)

Source: MargaretW / iStock via Getty Images

9. Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, California
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 86
> Leading cause of death in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, 2007-2021: Fall (28)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (15)

Source: tupungato / Getty Images

8. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 91
> Leading cause of death in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 2007-2021: Undetermined (38)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Drowning (20)

Source: Pgiam / iStock via Getty Images

7. Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina and Virginia
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 95
> Leading cause of death in Blue Ridge Parkway, 2007-2021: Motor vehicle crash (66)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Medical causes (7)

Source: JPaulMoore / iStock via Getty Images

6. Natchez Trace Parkway, Tennessee and Mississippi (roadway administered by the National Park Service)
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 105
> Leading cause of death in Natchez Trace Parkway, 2007-2021: Motor vehicle crash (90)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Medical causes (6)

Source: (c) Sean Board / iStock via Getty Images

5. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 113
> Leading cause of death in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 2007-2021: Motor vehicle crash (46)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (18)

Source: Justinreznick / iStock via Getty Images

4. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona and Utah
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 113
> Leading cause of death in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, 2007-2021: Drowning (43)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Undetermined (16)

Source: Bartfett / iStock via Getty Images

3. Yosemite National Park, California
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 146
> Leading cause of death in Yosemite National Park, 2007-2021: Fall (53)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Medical causes (33)

Source: ASMR / E+ via Getty Images

2. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 149
> Leading cause of death in Grand Canyon National Park, 2007-2021: Medical causes (48)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Fall (37)

Source: CrackerClips / iStock via Getty Images

1. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Arizona and Nevada
> Total deaths, 2007-2021: 252
> Leading cause of death in Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 2007-2021: Drowning (101)
> 2nd leading cause of death: Motor vehicle crash (47)

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