The body of a hiker who apparently had died in a fall from sandstone rock formations was found on Sunday on a popular trail at Zion National Park in Utah, the authorities said.
The hiker, Cesar Herrera-Ruiz, 37, of Canada, was found by search-and-rescue workers on the Canyon Overlook Trail, a mile-long trail on rocky terrain that runs along the east side of the park, according to Matthew Fink, a spokesman for the park.
Mr. Herrera-Ruiz had been visiting the park with his mother, though she was not present at the time of his death, Mr. Fink said on Monday.
The authorities said they received a call reporting a “possible fall of a hiker” at the park, which is spread across more than 148,000 acres in Washington, Iron and Kane Counties in southwest Utah, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The sandstone formations rise to about 50 feet above the trail in the area where Mr. Herrera-Ruiz was found, Mr. Fink said.
Emergency workers from Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue were the first to arrive on the scene and determined that the hiker “was beyond help,” the Sheriff’s Office said. Officials pronounced Mr. Herrera-Ruiz dead shortly after.
His remains were taken to the Washington County Medical Examiner’s office for further examination, the National Park Service said.
The Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating the cause of the man’s death.
The Canyon Overlook Trail was temporarily closed while the body was being recovered.
The hiker’s death is the first one this year at the park, which is known for its canyons and waterfalls and draws more than five million visitors a year.
The last fatality there was in October, when a 40-year-old man fell 150 to 200 feet to his death while canyoneering with three others, according to the Park Service. The activity involves roping down into a canyon or river gorge and then navigating it by swimming, sliding or jumping from rock to rock.
There have been other recent deaths at other national parks, including Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, where at least six people died last August of various causes.
Those deaths included a 60-year-old man who was on a multiday backpacking trip; an 80-year-old man who died after his boat flipped over in a river; and a 33-year-old woman whose body was found after a flash flood.
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