ST. GEORGE — Lake Mead National Recreation Area was cited by a new study as the country’s deadliest recreational area over the last 10 years. The reasons for this ranking, however, are somewhat unusual and not readily considered by visitors, officials say. 

John Haynes, public affairs officer for Lake Mead National Recreation Area, told St. George News that some factors that differentiate the park from many others are its enormous coverage area, vast bodies of water, drownings and significant roads going through parts of the park.

The recreation area has three significant bodies of water, including Lake Mead and the Colorado River, which travels down to and includes Lake Mohave. Additionally, Lake Mead has more than 750 miles of shoreline and spreads across 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons and valleys, according to the park website. 

“So it’s just a whole lot of area that we cover that spans a couple of states,” Haynes said. 

To conduct the study, the personal injury company Connecticut Trial Firm analyzed information collected by the Public Risk Management Program. They reviewed the number of deaths that occurred in national parks between July 2013 and July 2023 to determine the most dangerous national parks in the country.  

The study found that Lake Mead National Recreation Area, located on the border between Nevada and Arizona, was the most dangerous, with 6.9% of national park deaths in America reported in the park between 2013 and 2023.

“We have a high number of suicides, but the reason we have a high number of suicides is because we provide support to Hoover Dam and the Pat Tillman bridge next to Hoover Dam,” Haynes said. “So even though the Pat Tillman bridge is not technically part of our park, any fatalities that happen there get counted against our park.”

Hoover Dam had 203 fatalities in the last 10 years, with 1,235% more deaths than the average in the nation, according to the study.

Drownings in Lake Mead have been high in recent years, as visitors often underestimate how dangerous the water can be, Haynes said.

“Lake Mead, out of those three bodies of water, can be very, very treacherous. And millions of people come to this park every year,” Haynes said. “We had several drownings last year and most of them come down to simple things like not wearing a life vest.”

Last summer, the park led an intensive awareness campaign to encourage people to wear a life vest, Haynes said, adding that almost every drowning could have been avoided if a life jacket had been worn.

“You’re out on a boat; the water looks fine. You jump in, you go for a swim, the wind picks up, and all of a sudden, you’ve got heavy waves,” Haynes said. “We really encourage people to wear a life jacket whether they think they need one or not. These were people of all ages. We even have life jacket loaner stations set up at the major swimming areas.”

Lake Mead also is very deep with frigid water. Haynes said that most people are unprepared for how cold the water is and how that can impact the body.

According to the study, 56 people drowned in Lake Mead between 2013 and 2023, which accounts for 12% of the 466 total deaths from drowning across national parks. A majority of these deaths — 44 — occurred during the month of July, a time when people are most likely to swim or engage in recreational water activities.

Another challenge is that visitors often bring pool toys to the reservoir, which can be disastrous. Haynes said pool toys are for swimming pools not for a large reservoir such as Lake Mead.

“You may have kids out in a designated swimming area on a pool toy. The wind picks up, and all of a sudden, they’re blowing a quarter a mile away into the water before anybody notices,” Haynes said.

Additionally, the terrain in the water near the shore, the swimming areas, or even in rivers can shift from one year to the next. Haynes cited an example from last summer in the river portion of the park, where someone was walking and didn’t realize there was a severe drop-off in the river.

Another factor adding to the park’s dangerous status is the major roads going through the park. Haynes said any fatality, for example, that happens on southbound Highway 95 going toward Arizona, in a large swath of that freeway, gets counted against the park. He said visitor should lower their speed on the roads and “drive like a tortoise.”

“So you have one or two major auto accidents and all of a sudden, your numbers are increasing even though it’s not related to recreation at all,” Haynes said. “We’re trying to get people to bring their speed down to help save lives because we do have auto accidents.”

Haynes advised visitors to remember the park is notorious for being extremely hot; people need to stay hydrated to avoid heat stroke.

Ranked as the second deadliest park, according to the study, was Yosemite National Park with 152 recorded deaths throughout 10 years, accounting for 5.2% of all national park deaths.

Medical emergencies were found to be the leading cause of death, accounting for 34 fatalities, while falling was the second-most common, contributing to 33 deaths. Yosemite National Park accounts for more than 1 in 8 (12.7%) deaths from falling across all national parks and is the highest rate nationally.

Coming in third deadliest was Grand Canyon National Park, the country’s 11th-largest park; the park has recorded 136 deaths, which makes up 4.6% of all recorded national park fatalities during the 10 years.

In Utah, the study found the following:

Park	Total deaths	Drowning	Falling	Medical	Motor vehicle incident	Undetermined	Hypothermia	Other
Zion	40	1	18	5	0	4	2	10
Arches	17	0	2	6	0	3	2	4
Canyonlands	17	1	2	3	0	2	2	6
Capitol Reef	7	0	0	3	4	0	7	0
Bryce Canyon	3	0	0	2	0	0	0	1

“National parks are an amazing recreational resource and can be awe-inspiring for those who visit them,” Ryan McKeen, CEO and co-founder of Connecticut Trial Firm, which analyzed the data, said in an email to St. George News.

“However, national parks can still present some level of risk, with drowning, medical emergencies and motor vehicle incidents accounting for 48% of fatalities in parks over the past 10 years,” McKeen added. “We wanted to look into the documented deaths that occurred in national parks to help advise and minimize future accidents for future visitors.”

Resources

If you or someone you know is in danger because of suicidal thoughts or actions, call 911 immediately. Suicide is an emergency that requires help by trained medical professionals and should always be treated seriously.

Nationwide suicide hotlines, 988, 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) and 1-800-273-TALK (8255), have counselors available 24/7. The Southwest Behavioral Health Center also offers help for Southern Utah residents; call 800-574-6763 or 435-634-5600.

Other resources include Suicide.org, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the American Association of Suicidology. All provide comprehensive information and help on the issue of suicide, from prevention to treatment to coping with loss.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.