Washington National Park Deaths [2024 Study]
Posted in Firm News on August 19, 2024
Washington State is home to three of America’s most breathtaking national parks: Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Olympic National Park. It’s also home to the deadliest national park in the U.S.
The Washington injury lawyers at Elk & Elk took a closer look at how dangerous these parks are including an overview of fatalities within them. Our goal is not to discourage visitation, but rather to equip park-goers with the knowledge they need to fully enjoy these national treasures while minimizing risks to their safety.
Key Findings
- North Cascades National Park has a death rate of 60 per 1 million visits – the highest in the United States.
- There were a total of 73,977,472 visitors between 2007-2023 in Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Olympic National Park.
- There were a total of 156 deaths in Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Olympic National Park between 2007-2023.
Overall Washington National Park Statistics
Visitor Statistics
Between 2007-2023, there were a total of 73,977,472 visitors to all three national parks.
Olympic National Park had the most visitors with a total of 51,316,597, followed by Mount Rainier National Park with 22,212,167 visitors. North Cascades National Park received dramatically fewer visitors with a total of 448,708 – 50 times fewer visitors than Mount Rainier and 114 times fewer than Olympic. Keep this fact in mind for later.
Washington State National Park Fatalities
When we started to look at the safety in each park and how many fatalities there have been between 2007-2023, we found that there were 156 deaths between all 3 parks.
North Cascades National Park had the least amount of deaths at 27 between 2007-2023. Mount Rainier and Olympic had double if not almost triple the number of deaths in that same timeline at 77 and 52 deaths respectively.
Upon first glance, you might think that Mount Rainier is the most dangerous as it has less visitors than Olympic, but more deaths. However, there is one large piece that hasn’t been taken into account yet – the total number of deaths versus the total number of visitors.
The Deadliest National Park in the United States
Once we took into account the total number of deaths versus the total number of visitors, our findings drastically changed. The following findings were calculated by taking the total number of deaths divided by the total number of visitors and multiplying it by 1 million to represent deaths per 1 million visits.
North Cascades National Park is the deadliest national park in the United States. It has a death rate of 60 per 1 million visits – officially the highest of all national parks in the United States. Not only is this 17 times higher than Mounter Rainier National Park (3.5) and 60 times higher than Olympic National Park (1), but it has a death rate that is 46 times higher than all of the combined national parks of 1.3 (including North Cascades in the count).
| Park Name | Total Number of Visitors Between 2007-2023 | Total Number of Deaths Between 2007-2023 | Deaths Per 1 Million Visits |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Cascades NP | 448,708 | 27 | 60.2 |
| Mount Rainier NP | 22,212,167 | 77 | 3.5 |
| Olympic NP | 51,316,597 | 52 | 1.0 |
| All National Parks | 1,289,877,537 | 1694 | 1.3 |
The next deadliest national park is Lake Clark National Park & Preserve in Alaska at 22 deaths per 1 million visits, however, this is still almost 3 times less than North Cascades.
These findings demonstrate how important it is to take into consideration the total number of deaths per amount of individuals visiting. As mentioned earlier, North Cascades has a significantly lower amount of visitors and deaths compared to Mount Rainier and Olympic at first glance, but after calculating the deaths per 1 million visits we can see that it is in fact much more dangerous than the other two parks.
North Cascades National Park Deaths
41% of fatalities in North Cascades were caused by falls while climbing or hiking. The next causes were motor vehicle crashes and rockfalls at 11% each. 63% of those were died were men, 26% were women, and 11% were not reported. A majority of deaths (21/27) were unintentional.
Why Is North Cascades National Park Dangerous?
North Cascades National Park in Washington is considered one of the most dangerous national parks in the U.S. due to its high death rate and challenging conditions. The park’s rugged and remote terrain makes it less accessible, often requiring visitors to engage in more adventurous activities like mountaineering, canyoneering, and trail running. This increases the risk of accidents, as people are often far from help or services.
The park also lacks easily accessible areas for casual tourists, attracting more serious outdoor enthusiasts who may face greater dangers. Furthermore, the rock quality in North Cascades is poor due to weathering, leading to fractured and unstable granite that can easily break loose, as experienced climbers have noted.
The park’s wet climate and freeze-thaw cycles further contribute to the instability of the rock formations, posing additional risks to climbers and hikers. These factors, combined with the park’s remote location and fewer visitors compared to more well-known parks, contribute to its high fatality rate.
Mount Rainier National Park Deaths
Mount Rainier saw a total of 77 deaths between 2007-2023. 35% of these deaths were from falling. The next most common causes were hypothermia at 10%, then drowning and an avalanche at 9% each.
Most people perished while climbing or hiking. Of the 36 individuals who suffered a fatality while hiking, 12 perished from a fall (33%), 7 from hypothermia (19%), and 5 from an avalanche (14%). Of the 10 individuals who suffered a fatality while climbing, 9 of them were from a fall.
Olympic National Park Deaths
This beautiful park had a total of 52 deaths between 2007-2023. The highest cause of death in this park was drowning at 19%. The second highest cause of death was suicides. Out of the three Washington State parks, it has the highest amount of intentional deaths – all of which were male.
A Note About Our Data
We used two main reports from the National Park Service. These include:
Annual Visitation Report by Year: 2007 – 2023
NPS Mortality Data 2007–2023
Please note, that for the annual visitation and mortality reports, we used data from locations only listed as a National Park (NP) or a National Park and National Preserve (NP & PRES). The data did not take into account locations listed as National Monument (NM), National Historic Site (NHS), or International Historic Site (IHS) when comparing nationwide results.
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