Missing hiker who was ‘part of the Zion family’ found dead at Utah park, rangers say
A missing hiker found dead in a suspected fall at Zion National Park in Utah this week was described by park officials Friday as “part of the Zion family.”
Officials identified the woman as Savannah McTague, a 19-year-old from Maine who worked in concessions at Zion Lodge and had gone missing on Wednesday following a hike with coworkers, the St. George Spectrum & Daily News reports.
Rangers said McTague was found under Angels Landing — a popular but steep hiking trail at the park — with injuries “consistent with a high elevation fall,” according to the St. George Spectrum & Daily News.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the McTague family and friends,” said Jeff Bradybaugh, superintendent of Zion National Park, according to WCSH. “Savannah was part of the Zion family. This fatality has been especially hard on Zion Lodge and park staff.”
Park staff were notified that McTague had gone missing around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, rangers said in a news release on Thursday.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Wednesday that deputies were helping park rangers investigate “a report of an individual who fell from the Angels Landing trail.”
A search and rescue team began looking for McTague at daybreak Thursday and discovered a body beneath Angels Landing that was “consistent with the age and gender of the hiker reported missing,” rangers said.
Four people have died in falls on Angels Landing hikes since 2017, according to WCSH, which reports that “the total number of deaths at the very popular site is nine, according to the park website. Prior to 2017, there had been no deaths there since 2010.”
The park closed Angels Landing trail last weekend following a rockfall on the chains section of the trail, but announced Tuesday that workers “successfully removed remnants of a weekend rockfall and the world-famous trail has reopened ahead of schedule.”
“Several unstable rocks, one the size of a refrigerator, had fallen to obstruct a particularly narrow section of the trail,” rangers said, describing the trail as a “strenuous, 5.4 mile roundtrip hike.”
The hike involves 1,488 feet in elevation change and takes about four hours, according to the National Park Service.
Utah.com, a travel website, says that “anyone in an average physical condition can make this heavenward trek, but it can be mentally challenging with its steep switchbacks and sheer drop-offs. There are chains bolted into the cliff to provide secure handholds. People who have a severe fear of heights should not attempt the final stretch but can enjoy the trail all the way to Scout Lookout.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Missing hiker who was ‘part of the Zion family’ found dead at Utah park, rangers say."
