MONTANA — A 73-year-old female hiker from Iowa is dead after falling off the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park Wednesday morning. Park officials identified the hiker as Diane Bunker of Muscatine, Iowa, on Friday.
Bunker was hiking with a group on the Highline Trail between Big Bend and Triple Arches when she “tripped and sustained fatal injuries from a fall.” Park staff were notified about the accident around 11am. Two Bear Air responded to the scene, located and Bunker’s body below the trail.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road from Logan Pass to Big Bend was closed for about an hour while the victim’s body was recovered.
Glacier National Park Press Release:
On Wednesday, August 27, a woman hiking in a group on the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park, tripped and sustained fatal injuries from a fall. She has been identified as 73-year-old, Diane Bunker of Muscatine, Iowa.
At approximately 11 am park staff were alerted of a female who had fallen off the Highline Trail. While hiking with a large group, Bunker tripped and fell off the edge of the trail, out of sight from her hiking party. The fall occurred between Big Bend and Triple Arches.
The Going-to-the-Sun Road was closed from Logan Pass to Big Bend for about an hour to conduct the recovery. Two Bear Air was dispatched to search for the fallen hiker. Two Bear Air located and recovered her below the trail. She sustained traumatic injuries after falling roughly 450 feet. She was brought to the Apgar horse corrals and transferred to the Flathead County coroner. An investigation is ongoing.
Glacier National Park officials would like to thank Two Bear Air Rescue, Flathead County Sheriff’s Department and NPS staff.
Glacier National Park staff would like to express their sincere condolences to the family and ask that the public respect their privacy.
Related: Backcountry Hiker Attacked By Bear in Glacier National Park
