A 51-year-old Louisiana resident tragically lost his life at Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday. Fellow hikers discovered the unresponsive man slightly over a mile from the Mount Ida Trailhead and immediately initiated CPR while contacting park rangers via a personal locator beacon.
Rangers arrived on the scene and continued life-saving efforts, including advanced medical care, but unfortunately, the man was pronounced dead. The Grand County Coroner’s Office will determine the official cause of death and release the man's name after notifying his family.
Park staff, with assistance from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Grand County EMS, Grand Lake Fire, and Classic Air Medical, recovered the body and transported it to the coroner's office.
Visitors at the Rocky Mountain National Park Visitor's Center. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Entrance sign for Rocky Mountain National Park. (Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Death Valley National Park welcome sign. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
While extreme heat has been a concern in other parts of the country, including a suspected heat-related death at Death Valley National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park experienced milder conditions with temperatures dipping into the upper 30s at night. The park service notes that significant temperature fluctuations between day and night are typical for the mountain region, with summer days often reaching the 70s or 80s and nights cooling down to the 40s. The incident remains under investigation.
