3 people die from apparent heat-related illnesses at Grand Canyon National Park

U.S. news3 people die from apparent heat-related illnesses at Grand Canyon National ParkThe hikers died in two separate incidents in the park’s inner canyon, where temperatures can top 109 degrees in the shade, officials said.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00The Grand Canyon National Park is seen Oct. 8, 2025, in Grand Canyon, Ariz.Kayla Bartkowski / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 19, 2026, 8:16 PM EDTBy Tim Stelloh and Todd MiyazawaThree hikers appear to have died last week from heat-related illnesses at Grand Canyon National Park, officials said Friday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The deaths occurred during two separate incidents on June 12 and June 16 along trails in the park’s inner canyon, the park said in a news release.The hikers were two men, ages 72 and 67, and a 68-year-old woman.Despite aerial support and rapid response, the park said, all three were found dead on two trails — the South Kaibab Trail and the North Kaibab Trail — and taken to the Cococino County Medical Examiner’s Office. The hikers appeared to have succumbed to heat-related illnesses, the park said.Summer temperatures in the park’s inner canyon, which includes everything below the rim in the nearly 2,000 square mile park, can reach 109 degrees in the shade during the midday hours, the park said.The park warned visitors Thursday to limit strenuous hiking below the rim between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.Data provided by the park service shows there were 34 “unintentional” deaths at the park between 2014 and 2019. That category includes heat-related fatalities, though the data does not specify how many.The leading cause of death within the category were falls, the data shows.An NBC News analysis of National Park Service fatality data between 2007 and 2021 found the Grand Canyon had the 20th highest death rate in the park system, well behind the deadliest — Washington State’s North Cascades National P...