A 16-year-old boy died Wednesday evening after falling more than 100 feet while hiking in the Devils Castle area of Little Cottonwood Canyon near Alta, Utah.
According to KUTV, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office said search and rescue crews responded to the area after receiving a report of a hiker who had fallen from a cliff. First responders located the teenager and determined that he had died at the scene.
Hiker Dies In Devils Castle Fall
Multiple agencies responded to the incident, including the Alta Marshals and the Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau. Officials have released few details about what led to the fall. No additional information has been made available at this time.
Witnesses told KUTV that they saw a group of young adults scrambling up the front side of Devils Castle in an area that appeared to lack an established trail. Witnesses reported seeing one person fall and estimated that the fall may have been several hundred feet.
The official account currently describes the fall as more than 100 feet.
Devils Castle Trail Is A Technical Route
Devils Castle is located above Little Cottonwood Canyon and is known for steep, exposed terrain. The Devils Castle Trail is generally accessed from the Cecret Lake area and includes sections that require rock scrambling.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death remains ongoing. Officials have not released the boy’s identity.