A solo backpacker has been found dead near a remote trail along the Grand Canyon two days after his family first raised concerns about his whereabouts.
The National Park Service revealed that the 60-year-old, from North Carolina, was located by helicopter on Wednesday along the Colorado River.
The route he was on connected Lower Tapeats and Deer Creek camps, which are both accessible from the north-west of the Grand Canyon.
It is believed the man was on a solo backpacking trip for multiple days from Thunder River to Deer Creek, the Guardian report.
Grand Canyon rangers were first alerted by the missing man’s family on Tuesday after he failed to check in with them.
A solo backpacker has been found dead near a remote trail along the Grand Canyon (stock image)
The National Park Service revealed that the 60-year-old was from North Carolina (stock image)
It is believed that the hiker is the sixth person to die in the Grand Canyon in less than a month.
There has also been 14 deaths this year, after a reported 11 fatalities last year. The average deaths per year is roughly 10 to 15.
In July, a Texas man hiking a popular trail in the Grand Canyon was declared dead, the National Park Service announced.
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The Grand Canyon dispatching office received a report around 7pm on June 29 that a man was found semi-conscious on the canyon’s River Trail, which runs for just under two miles along the Colorado River.
Officials identified the hiker as 69-year-old Scott Sims from Austin, explaining in a Monday press release that he was heading to Phantom Ranch where he was planning on staying for the night.
Yesterday, it was also revealed the the national park has abruptly closed a host of hotels near the iconic destination just ahead of Labor Day weekend, leaving distraught families in the lurch over their summer vacation plans.
Park authorities announced the surprise closures, effective Thursday, citing a ‘series of four significant breaks’ in the 12.5-mile-long pipe that supplies water to the park – with no end to the disruption in sight.
‘Since July 8, the park has faced challenges with water supply, and currently, no water is being pumped to either the South or North Rim,’ the National Park Service said.