COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. — A 41-year-old man died over the weekend while hiking along the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail.
On June 16 at about 6: 45 a.m., a call was made reporting that a man had been found unresponsive east of the Pipe Creek River Resthouse.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Un excursionista de 41 años muere en sendero del Gran Cañón
National Park Service personnel attempted to resuscitate the man but he did not regain consciousness. The man was hiking out of the canyon from an overnight stay at the Bright Angel Campground.
The incident remains under investigation.
Bright Angel is considered the canyon's most popular trail but hikers have been discouraged from hiking the inner canyon between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the summer months. Over the years, multiple hikers have died while attempting to hike the trail.
Safety tips for visiting the Grand Canyon during the summer can be found here.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
