The Deadliest Places In National Parks

Now is the time to visit America's national parks because the weather is nicer and the crowds have left. After all, they have always been the perfect cheap getaway for families and adventurers. While people still camp, hike, and enjoy the stunning beauty of nature and the wilderness, they have to be more careful. A total of 1,025 people died in national parks from 2007 to 2013; 145 fatalities in 2014, up from 129 in 2013. The odds may be in your favor, but some places pose real danger.

Kilauea, an active shield volcano, is extremely dangerous not because of the hot ash and lava, but because of toxic fumes that are released. Being near the volcano can be a problem due to strong winds that can be extremely dangerous for anyone breathing it in. From 1992-2002, the park reported 40 fatalities, and more than 100 injuries, half of those serious.

The name of the park gives it away. The main problem is the heat, which often reaches close to 130 degrees and can easily cause death. The average adult will need about four gallons of water to make it out unharmed, but dehydration is not the only concern. An 11-year-old boy died after he and his mother became stranded when their car got stuck in a collapsed animal burrow. They had little food and water for two days. A decade ago, a German couple and their two children disappeared and were never found. Only their car, with three flat tires, was found.

The trail is very popular on the East Coast but it's also one of the most dangerous in Acadia National Park. It's not technically difficult but the steep drops and open cliffs make the walk very tricky. Falls are a real concern. A college student died four years ago after slipping. It's not a surprise that people under 5 feet and 2 inches are not recommended to try the hike. Don't ever take your hands off the metal rungs.

Norris Geyser Basin is the hottest thermal region in Yellowstone National Park. Scientists measured the highest temperature recorded in the park – 459 degrees in the Norris thermal system.  Twenty-two people have died in its thermal pools and geysers since 1870 when the first fatality was recorded. The latest victim was a man who dissolved in the hot water after slipping when trying to check the temperature, according to news reports.

It's easy to hike the park's slot canyons – when it's not raining. If a sudden storm hits the area, don't waste time and find refuge somewhere high. Unexpected and abrupt flash flooding is common year-round. Hypothermia is also a major concern for hikers. That's what happened to an experienced hiker less than a year and a half ago.

It's tempting to want to climb from the rim down the river along the Bright Angel Trail, but you have to consider your realistic ability to complete the hike. It's 4,380 feet in altitude and can get scorching hot. This combination can easily lead do severe dehydration and heat exhaustion, and there are about 250 rescue operations a year. One of the better known incidents there was the death of 28-year-old Avik Chakravarty. He climbed in the heat and couldn't handle it. A Preventative Search and Rescue team (PSAR) was created afterwards to help hikers with whatever they may need.

This trail continues to be extremely popular, despite the fact that 60 people have died on their way to Half Dome. There have been more than 20 deaths on Half Dome itself. There are steel cables to hang on to as you climb but rain makes them and the rock very slick. Lightning can be dangerous due to exposed sables.

Avalanches and sudden storms scare many people away, but those who aren't are put at great risk. In 2013, four Japanese tourists died after being swept into a crevasse by an avalanche. They are among 120 people who have perished on Denali Peak, formerly known as Mount McKinley, and their deaths bring to 44 the number of bodies remaining on North America's tallest mountain, according to The Associated Press. This is one the coldest peaks on the planet with temps dropping to -75 degrees in the winter.

The popular climbing campsite, Camp Muir, is also a hiking base. People start on the Skyline Trail, walking more than four miles and climbing more than two miles to Muir Snowfield. The hike is exhausting, and by the end, people's legs feel like jelly. This is a not a good state when a severe storm suddenly forms, dumping snow, and forming blinding fog. This can turn the area into a death trap, where many people have died.

This 469-mile road goes though Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah National Park and is one of the busiest in the country because of the breathtaking views or rivers, waterfalls, and mountains that it offers. So many people drive there that car crashes are understandably common. Murders taking place there have also been in the news, perhaps because the road is relatively isolated.

The unpredictable weather and the terrain can turn Longs Peak into a death trap. If you decide to conquer the peak, be prepared for lightning strikes, narrow ledges, and rock slides. An experienced hiker became the 59th fatality on Longs Peak, which is one of — if not the most — deadly peak in Colorado. Two-thirds of all deaths were the result of a fall — roped and unroped. Twenty people have died on the mountain for reasons other than falls, including six that had heart attacks, four suffering hypothermia, three struck by lightning, and three others by exhaustion and exposure.

Beware of bears; they may be everywhere. Experts estimate that there is a bear within a mile radius of every campsite. Sometimes in the spring, several hiking trails are closed for days due to the potential danger of encountering bears hunting for food. Avoid standing around food sources like carcasses and berry bushes.

More people die while climbing unroped in Grand Teton National Park than while doing any other activity, according to data from 1997 to 2014 incident reports in the park. In August 2017, a 24 year-old climber died from a fall. He was found 400 feet below Peak 11,840, between Teewinot and Mount Owen. The area has become more popular for climbing in the past several years.

Three people died in 2011 after slipping from the top of Vernal Fall. The distance to the river, which is famous for its very dangerous current, is more than 300 feet. That year alone, 17 people died in Yosemite National Park, six by falling off waterfalls. According to the book "Off the Wall: Death at Yosemite," the total death toll stands at almost 900.