Bryce Canyon National Park Visitor Rescued After Sliding Off ‘Social Trail’
Oct 14, 2019, 3:36 PM
BRYCE CANYON CITY, Utah — National Park rangers are reminding visitors to stay away from dangerous situations after a person was rescued following sliding off a “social trail” to the edge of a 20-foot cliff.
“When visiting national parks, one must appreciate that their safety is first and foremost their own responsibility,” park officials said in a tweet. “Though the park makes an effort to keep visitors to areas of mitigated risk, social trails will likely always exist, luring visitors into dangerous situations.”
The rescued visitor slid to the edge of the cliff after following a little path they thought was safe.
“There was a little path down to it so I thought it was fine, and I scooted forward about an inch or two, then the rocks just went out from underneath me and I started sliding all the way down to the edge of a 20-ft cliff. It was the scariest moment of my life,” the visitor said.
According to the park’s website, sliding down cliffs is one of the top 10 causes of injuries. Additional reasons included speeding, dehydration, leaving the trail and bad choice of footwear.