The deadly fall is the primary to happen on the route because the Nationwide Park Service instituted a allow system in 2022 to chop down on crowding.
Angels Touchdown in Zion Nationwide Park (Photograph: Jake Stern)
Up to date April 21, 2026 07:55AM
A hiker died on Friday afternoon after falling from the favored Angels Touchdown Path in Zion Nationwide Park, park authorities mentioned.
In an e-mail to Backpacker, a spokesperson for the Nationwide Park Service wrote that park authorities had responded to a report of a fall on the Angels Touchdown Path on April 17 at 2 p.m. The park closed the West Rim Path, which incorporates Scout Lookout and Angels Touchdown, whereas rescue operations have been ongoing.
“Zion Nationwide Park labored with the Washington County Sheriff’s Workplace, Washington County Medical Examiner, Hurricane Valley Hearth and Rescue, and Kane County Search and Rescue on the fatality ensuing from that fall,” the spokesperson wrote. “As of Saturday morning, the path has reopened.”
The park service has since recognized the deceased hiker as Gilberto Ramos, a 68-year-old from Laredo, Texas. In a information launch, the NPS mentioned that rangers responded after receiving reviews from guests of a person falling from the chained part of the route. Responders positioned him on the north aspect of Angels Touchdown in Zion Canyon close to Large Bend.”
Angels Touchdown is closed to hikers from April 20 to 23 for upkeep; the park service had scheduled the closure previous to Friday’s incident.
Climbing 1,488 ft over the course of a 5.4-mile spherical journey, Angels Touchdown is without doubt one of the hottest hikes in Zion, itself the second-most-visited nationwide park in the USA. From the highest, hikers can get pleasure from commanding views of Zion Canyon and the Virgin River beneath. To get there, they should navigate Hogsback, a slender, knife-edge ridge with chains for a handhold. To chop down on crowding, the NPS instituted a allow system in 2022, requiring hikers to enter a lottery for a coveted spot on the path.
Over time, there have been not less than 18 confirmed fatalities on the path, together with falls and medical points from the strenuous ascent. The newest occurred in 2024, when a hiker was found unresponsive at Scouts Lookout, however no hikers had fallen to their demise because the park instituted a allow system to regulate crowds on Angels Touchdown in 2022. In 2021, 43-year-old Jason Hartwell handed away after falling from the formation’s summit. In 2019, two hikers, Savannah McTague, 19, and Pradeep Beryl Solomon, 35, died after falling from totally different factors alongside the path.
This can be a creating story and Backpacker will replace it as extra info turns into obtainable.
