The incident was the third to occur recently in the park. Photo: Karen Blaha // Flickr
A hiker in Zion National park endured a gruesome injury this week. The man was rescued and transported to a local hospital after falling 35 feet and impaling himself on a tree branch on the way down.
“At approximately 1:25 p.m. on May 8, 2026, Zion National Park received a report of a hiker accidentally falling from the Kayenta Trail,” park spokesperson Matt Fink told SFGATE by email. “First responders were immediately dispatched to the scene and began administering medical care.”
According to the St. George News, the hiker suffered several potentially broken bones and his left leg was impaled by a branch, which medical personnel on the ground decided not to remove during transport. Around 3:20 p.m., a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter hoisted the man to a Zion Lodge helispot. From there, he was transported by another helicopter to a nearby hospital.
The Kayenta Trail was closed during the rescue, but re-opend around 3:35 p.m. that day.
This is the third recent incident in the park, two of which were fatal. On April 22, 43-year-old William Lewis was hiking in Spry Canyon when he fell to his death. Five days before that, 68-year-old Gilberto Ramos slipped on a section of the Angels Landing rock formation and fell over 1,000 feet before dying.
