Incident:NPS reports from this canyon 1997 to 2024 in Heaps 1997-03-31

Incident:NPS reports from this canyon 1997 to 2024 in Heaps 1997-03-31
Date	1997-03-31
Location	Heaps
Severity	Fatality
Canyoneering-related	Yes
SAR involvement	No
Navigation problem	No
Swift water problem	No
Environmental problem	No
Communication problem	No
Planning problem	No
Skills problem	No
Body movement problem	No
Rigging problem	No
Rappel problem	No
Insufficient gear	No
Gear failure	No

Summary

The most common and dangerous type of accident is falls during the final rappel.

Heaps Canyon concludes with a massive, multi-stage descent that drops nearly 300 feet into the Emerald Pools area. This specific section accounts for the majority of the severe incidents listed in this tab.

Summary of Major Incident Types Final Rappel Fatalities and Injuries: This is the primary cause of death and serious injury.

November 2021: A canyoneer rappelled past a necessary ledge, became suspended, and perished.

June 2007: A man fell to his death during the final 285-foot rappel.

April 2002: A canyoneer fell during the final 300-foot descent, suffering head, back, and leg injuries.

Un-roped Falls:

October 2024: A 40-year-old fell 150–200 feet during the technical descent.

July 2015: A man took a 100–200 foot un-roped fall into a side canyon and was later found deceased.

March 1997: A 12-year-old slipped and fell 100 feet while wading near the edge of a pool.

Navigation Errors and Exhaustion:

June 2006: A group mistook Heaps Canyon for the easier Behunin Canyon, leading to a multi-day rescue after they became trapped by the difficult terrain and cold water.

October 2012: An inexperienced pair became stranded after three days because they could not navigate the "keeper potholes" and cold water.

July 2013: Three canyoneers became stuck at a "dead end" pothole they didn't recognize, requiring a short-haul helicopter rescue.

Key Risk Factors Identified The report highlights that Heaps Canyon is significantly more difficult than other Zion routes due to its extreme length (12–20 hours), frigid water requiring thick wetsuits, and the technical complexity of its final 300-foot free-hanging rappel. Most rescues involved parties who either lacked the necessary experience or underestimated the time required to finish before dark.

Accounts

https://npshistory.com/morningreport/incidents/zion.htm

NPS history

Monday, March 31, 1997 97-121 - Zion NP (Utah) - Falling Fatality T.E., 12, fell to his death at the Emerald Pools on the afternoon of March 28th. Bystanders attempted CPR and reported the fall to park rangers, who responded with advanced life support equipment. Due to the extent of T.E.' injuries, life-saving attempts were not successful and he was pronounced dead at the scene. According to eyewitnesses, T.E. had taken off his shoes and was wading in Heaps Creek when he apparently ventured too close to the edge of the middle pool, slipped, and fell about 100 feet to the base of the lower pool. A joint investigation by the park and county is underway. [Denny Davies, PIO, ZION, 3/30]

Friday, May 3, 2002 02-143 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescues Rangers conducted two rescues within 19 hours early this week. On Sunday, April 28th, D.H. and his climbing companions were canyoneering in Heaps Canyon. They were completing their descent of the canyon when D.H. fell while attempting the final 300-foot rappel. Park dispatch was notified of an injured person near Upper Emerald Pools. The SAR team was immediately dispatched. The first ranger reached D.H. just before 8 p.m. and found that he was suffering from head, back and leg injuries. Two park medics stabilized him, and an EMS helicopter from Page was dispatched to the park to assist with the evacuation. The SAR team began the evacuation around 10 p.m., carrying D.H. across a boulder field and down the Emerald Pools trail to the trailhead. He was flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George. On Monday, April 29th, park dispatch received a call about a hiker in distress on the Angels Landing trail at 12:30 p.m. The SAR team was again dispatched and found that a 57-year-old man was experiencing chest pains. He was littered out and flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center, with the helicopter lifting off from the park within two hours of the first call. Doctors determined that he'd suffered a heart attack. [Janis Kali, ZION, 4/30]

Tuesday, June 6, 2006 Zion NP Trio Rescued from Heaps Canyon On May 31st, three men set out to traverse Behunin Canyon, a venture that requires eight rappels of up to 150 feet. They used a GPS unit as their primary means for locating the head of the canyon. The canyon that they found and entered, though, was Heaps Canyon. The heads of the two canyons are separated by a quarter mile, and the differences between the two routes would have been apparent if the men had used a map or a detailed route description. The Heaps Canyon route is a multi-day trip that includes swims through numerous potholes with water temperatures in the 40s and many rappels, including one of 300 feet. The men discussed discontinuing their trip when they failed to find anchors at the first cliff band, but they instead created an anchor and forged ahead. Once they realized their mistake, they were unable to return to the canyon rim. On the morning of June 1st, one of the men decided that he'd had enough of swimming through the frigid pools and climbed to a nearby knoll to await rescue. The other two continued into the narrowest section of the canyon. The three men were reported overdue on the evening of May 31st. A ranger patrol began a hasty search of Behunin Canyon the next morning, but determined by that afternoon that the men were not in that canyon. A helicopter search was then begun. All three men were located and equipment, clothes and radios were lowered to them. On the morning of June 2nd, additional equipment was lowered to the pair in the canyon, and they were able to complete the passage under their own power. The third man was flown out in the helicopter. Rangers are surprised that the two men who continued on down the canyon did not succumb to hypothermia. Thick wetsuits or drysuits are typically used to traverse the route. [Ray O'Neil, Plateau District Ranger] Thursday, June 7, 2007 Zion NP Canyoneer Killed In Fall In Heaps Canyon K.B., 48, of Garden Grove, California, fell to his death while canyoneering in Heaps Canyon the evening of Monday, June 4th. K.B.'s two companions were at the Upper Emerald Pools waiting for him to descend after completing the 285-foot last rappel out of the canyon when he fell to his death for unknown reasons. Once his companions determined that K.B. had not survived the fall, they hiked down the Emerald Pools trail to Zion Lodge and reported the incident to park dispatch at 11:34 p.m. Rangers responded and confirmed the death. K.B. and his two companions had a valid permit for Heaps Canyon. Canyon district ranger Kevin Killian was the IC; ranger Craig Thexton is the primary investigator for the NPS, working in conjunction with the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Heaps Canyon is temporarily closed to canyoneering while the incident is under investigation. [Bonnie Schwartz, Chief Ranger]

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 Zion NP Two Canyoneers Rescued From Heaps Canyon On Saturday, October 6th, a 41-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman began a trip through Heaps Canyon, one of the park's more difficult canyoneering routes due to its length, cold water, a 300-foot free hanging rappel, and numerous obstacles, including slick rock potholes. Because of its length and difficulty, those who wish to complete Heap's Canyon as a day trip typically get a pre-dawn start. However, when this pair received their required wilderness permit around 9 am on Saturday, they said that their intention was to complete the canyon in one day. When park staff informed them they would not be able to complete the trip before dark, they said that they were prepared to spend the night. While the two were never reported overdue, rangers did note that their vehicle was still parked at a trailhead on the morning of Monday, October 8th. The Grand Canyon NP helicopter was requested in order to conduct a search. The helicopter crew found the canyoneers in the lower reaches of Heaps Canyon late that afternoon. After three days of travelling, the two had only completed about two-thirds of the canyon and had not gotten past some of its most difficult obstacles. The crew inserted a radio to the pair, who said that they couldn't complete the canyon without assistance. The woman reportedly sprained her ankle and was also having difficulty with the cold. On the morning of October 9th, a ranger and firefighter were inserted on a bench above the two canyoneers. They cleared a helispot, which made it possible for the helicopter to land with additional rescuers. The six-member rescue team lowered a medic from the bench 125 feet down to the stranded pair and then hauled all three people back to the bench. The two canyoneers did not require medical assistance. The experience and competence of the Grand Canyon pilot, manager, and ranger/medic were instrumental in ensuring the successful completion of this complex operation. Had rangers not noticed the canyoneers' vehicle at the trailhead, it is unclear when or if the two would have been reported overdue. Wilderness hikers should always inform someone of their plans along with an expected exit time. The pair also had far less experience than most Heaps Canyon travelers. The man, the more experienced of the two, had previously rappelled through several of Zion's easy to moderate canyoneering routes and had some top rope and gym climbing experience. [Ray O'Neil, Plateau District Ranger]

Friday, July 12, 2013 Zion NP Three Canyoneers Rescued From Heaps Canyon On Monday, July 8th, rangers and helitack crew members completed three short-haul evolutions to rescue an overdue party of three canyoneers from Heaps Canyon, one of the most difficult canyons to navigate within Zion. The three men had obtained a day permit for Saturday, July 6th, but started their trip the prior evening. The family reported them overdue early Sunday morning and rangers began to monitor the canyon exit. Due to thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon, rangers were unable to fly a reconnaissance flight, but began to plan for a search on Monday morning. During one of the search flights on Monday, rangers spotted the trio on a bench above Heaps Canyon. They later reported that they'd reached a "dead end" in the canyon early on Saturday afternoon, not recognizing that conditions change dramatically from year to year and that they were in fact still in Heaps Canyon and potentially in a "keeper pothole." The permit holder had been through Heaps Canyon in 2011, a relatively wet year. The three men spent most of Sunday at this 30-foot-tall obstacle before convincing themselves they were in the wrong drainage. On Monday morning, they climbed 100 feet up to a bench above Heaps Canyon to await rescue. Ranger/medic Tim Hearns was inserted by short haul to assess injuries and extract the canyoneers one by one. This past week was one of hottest ever recorded in Zion, with seven days in a row above 111 degrees. [Cindy Purcell, Chief Ranger]

Thursday, July 16, 2015 Zion National Park (UT) Canyoneer Dies Following Heaps Canyon Fall Zion National Park was alerted to an injured canyoneer in Heaps Canyon mid-day on Saturday, July 12th. The 24-year-old Las Vegas man had apparently taken a 100-200 foot un-roped fall into a side canyon at approximately 7 p.m. the previous day. Three companions descended to him; one stayed with the injured man while the other two members of the party continued on through Heaps Canyon to get help. Heaps Canyon is a strenuous, challenging technical canyon with an approximate 3000-foot descent. It usually takes 12 to 20 hours to complete, consists of a number of rappels into cold water, and ends with a final 280-foot rappel to the Upper Emerald Pool area. Rescue efforts started early Sunday. With assistance from Grand Canyon National Park, a short-haul helicopter was sent to assist. Two Zion search and rescue team members were short-hauled into the canyon above. When they rappelled down they found the man deceased. [Submitted by Cindy J. Purcell, Chief Ranger]

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 Zion National Park Canyoneering accident results in death On November 27, a group of three visitors went canyoneering in Heaps Canyon. To complete the final exit from the canyon, the individuals were to rappel to a narrow ledge 280 feet above the ground to set up for the final rappel. However, the first person rappelled past the ledge by about 20 feet and then was unable to ascend to the perch and remained suspended. The other two managed to utilize their "pull line" to rappel to the ledge. They attempted to use their phones to call for help several times throughout the evening, but poor signal prevented them from getting out. They were able to finally get a call out early the next morning. Over 30 rescuers and two helicopters responded to the incident, and the Upper and Middle Emerald Pools Trails were closed for the day to conduct the rescue. The person who descended first perished in the incident, though the cause of death has not been announced. The other two individuals were rescued. Source: WAVY

October 16, 2024 Zion National Park Canyoneering fatality On October 5, a group of four was canyoneering in Heaps Canyon when one of them, a 40-year-old, fell about 150-200 feet. Personnel from the Zion Technical Search and Rescue Team and the Washington County (UT) Sheriff's Office provided emergency medical care. The individual was extracted by a Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter and brought to a landing site near Watchman Campground. The individual then received medical care from Hurricane Valley Fire and Rescue and Intermountain Life Flight. However, the individual was pronounced deceased before they could be transported by air ambulance to a hospital. The following morning, October 6, two of the other members of the party were extracted by the DPS helicopter. Zion's SAR team assisted the final member of the party in rappelling down the canyon. The incident is under investigation by the NPS and Washington County Sheriff's Office. The Springdale Police Department also supported the incident. Source: Zion National Park