Early morning hikers on a popular trail in Zion National Park had a brush with disaster as large boulder came crashing down from the steep walls of a gorge and landed just feet away.
The incident happened on Sunday, June 21st in the The Narrows, the narrowest section of Zion Canyon, where walls climb as high as 1000 feet tall and the river is sometimes only 20-30 feet wide. The area is extremely popular with visitors and thankfully the rockfall didn’t happen later in the day when more foot traffic is common.
“We were one of the first people at the Narrows this morning when a large boulder came crashing down within 10-20 feet from us. We had 8 kids and 6 adults. It was very scary! We had red rock dust in our eyes. Luckily no one was hurt. If this was later in the day, I think someone would have been injured. Be safe out there and please be aware of your surroundings.” -Ashley Shake
Explore Zion Tours, a company that offers private tours of Zion National Park, was just about to start a hike through The Narrows with clients when the rockfall occurred. They managed to capture the image of the debris cloud in the immediate aftermath:
“To say this caught us off guard is an understatement. Today, June 21, just as a Narrows Tour was about to start their hike in the water we witnessed a small rockfall. It sounded like a gunshot and we felt a light blast of debris a few seconds later. Fortunately no one was injured, but it was a bit scary and a good reminder that our national parks are wild places! Zion National Park is a geologically active area where rockfalls are frequent and unpredictable. We like to say rockfalls happen everyday, just most of them go unnoticed.” -Explore Zion Tours
Zion National Park advises visitors should protect against rockfall dangers by maintaining awareness of your surroundings, paying close attention to warning signs, staying off closed trails, and keeping away from cliff edges. If you are at the base of a wall or when a rock fall occurs above, seek shelter immediately behind the largest nearby boulder or move away from the cliff.
Zion National Park Rockslide Safety Guidelines:
Rockfall hazards occur throughout the park and are especially high near any cliff face. If you witness a rockfall, quickly move away from the cliff. If you are near the base of a cliff or talus slope when a rockfall occurs and cannot quickly move away from the base of the cliff, immediately seek shelter behind the largest nearby boulder and pull your backpack over your head. After rocks have stopped falling, move quickly as far away from the base of the cliff as possible. Be aware that rockfalls can occur at any time. Pay attention to your surroundings, stay off of closed trails, and, if unsure, keep away from cliffs.
