20 U.S. Hiking Trails So DANGEROUS Park Rangers Refuse to Hike Them After Dark

📕 Stay Found, my field guide for anyone who heads outdoors: what to carry, what to leave on the kitchen table, and what to do in the first hour if somebody doesn't come back → https://stayfoundbook.com Twenty U.S. hiking trails, every one with a death or a rescue on file. On most of them, darkness turns up somewhere in that file. A retired search and rescue ranger counts them down, from a short walk in the Ozarks to Longs Peak. I'm Cliff Hollis. Thirty-two seasons as a backcountry ranger in the mountain West, the last fifteen running search and rescue. Every case here comes from park, sheriff and agency reports. THE HOUR ON FILE 20. Hawksbill Crag, Arkansas. When: a call at 11:23 a.m. The third fatal fall on that trail since 2010. 19. Devil's Bridge, Sedona. When: about 5 p.m., walked out by 8. Snow hid the path back to the cars. 18. Delicate Arch, Arches. When: about 7:30 a.m. Two hikers died below the arch on a wet, slick morning after Thanksgiving. 17. Flattop Mountain, Alaska. When: a February evening. An avalanche in Boy Scout Gully. No beacons, no shovels, no probes. 16. Old Rag, Shenandoah. When: two nights in a row. Paramedics stayed on the mountain both nights. 15. Precipice Trail, Acadia. When: about 11 a.m. A 60-foot fall, 39 rescuers, nearly six hours. 14. Siphon Draw to the Flatiron, Arizona. When: 12:45 a.m. A night photo with the city lights, a fall of nearly 700 feet. 13. Cactus to Clouds, California. When: a whole night in the snow at 7,600 feet. Gusts at nightfall kept the helicopter away. 12. Muir Snowfield, Mount Rainier. When: broad daylight, in a whiteout. No darkness needed. 11. Mount St. Helens crater rim. When: late March 2024. A cornice gave way. Stay 30 feet back from the edge. 10. The Narrows, Zion. When: about 2:15 p.m. Over 150 cubic feet per second, the Narrows close. 9. Buckskin Gulch, Utah and Arizona. When: a Saturday morning, in camp. Four deaths in one canyon in one year. 8. Franconia Ridge, New Hampshire. When: the phone died around 6:15 p.m. on Christmas Eve. He had started after 11 a.m. 7. Mount Timpanogos, Utah. When: around 6 a.m. Lightning struck the steel hut on the summit. Shelters are not protection. 6. Kalalau Trail, Kauai. When: overnight on the beach. A flooded stream cut off 121 people, and 98 waited for morning. 5. Angels Landing, Zion. When: after dark, too dark to search. Between 11 and 18 deaths, depending on who is counting. 4. Mount Whitney, California. When: one climb started at 11:30 p.m. The search team's advice was about turning around. 3. Mount Baldy, California. When: 7:30 p.m., after dark. Ice chutes, and 14 deaths since 2020. 2. Capitol Peak, Colorado. When: 4:45 p.m., on the way down. Five deaths in six weeks one summer. 1. Longs Peak, Colorado. When: a summit text at 1 p.m., storms by afternoon. Most people start at 2 or 3 a.m. The rule that runs through all twenty: start early, carry a light, and set your turnaround time before you leave the car. CHAPTERS 00:00 Angels Landing and a tally on a Kauai beach 00:49 20. Hawksbill Crag, Arkansas 02:35 19. Devil's Bridge, Sedona 03:13 18. Delicate Arch, Arches 03:59 17. Flattop Mountain, Alaska 05:01 16. Old Rag, Shenandoah 06:08 15. Precipice Trail, Acadia 07:00 14. The Flatiron, Phoenix 07:39 13. Cactus to Clouds 08:32 12. Muir Snowfield, Rainier 09:20 11. Mount St. Helens crater rim 10:33 10. The Narrows, Zion 11:26 9. Buckskin Gulch 12:18 8. Franconia Ridge 13:15 7. Mount Timpanogos 14:07 6. Kalalau Trail, Kauai 15:14 5. Angels Landing 16:19 4. Mount Whitney 17:27 3. Mount Baldy 18:26 2. Capitol Peak 19:39 1. Longs Peak 21:08 Start early, carry a light Stay found, folks. #ParkRanger #HikingSafety #NationalParks