COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. — A hiker who died on the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail earlier this month has been identified as an Indiana woman.
The 36-year-old hiker could not be resuscitated after a rescue team found her unresponsive on May 14 at about 9 p.m. above the Three-Mile Resthouse.
The woman was attempting to hike to the Colorado River and back within one day, according to the Grand Canyon National Park.
Officials said heat is suspected of being one of the contributing factors to the woman's death.
It's not the first fatality reported on the Bright Angel Trail this year. Back in February, a 56-year-old man from Wisconsin died while attempting to hike to the Colorado River.
The National Park Service does not recommend hiking from the rim to the river and back within the same day.
Bright Angel is considered the canyon's most popular trail but hikers are discouraged from hiking the inner canyon between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the summer months.
Because the canyon's North Kaibab Trail is currently shut down due to maintenance, officials said they've noticed more hikers recently attempting to do extended day hikes comparable to the rim-to-rim hike.
The Kaibab Trail is expected to reopen on June 16.
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