A Colorado man was found deceased over the weekend in Grand Canyon National Park, according to officials on Monday.
The Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a call at approximately 5:30 AM reporting a death at Poncho’s Kitchen, located near the Colorado River, the National Park Service (NPS) stated.
Park rangers arrived at the scene and discovered Patrick Horton, 59, a resident of Salida, Colorado, who was on the tenth day of a non-commercial river trip along the Colorado River. Horton was found by members of his party, the NPS reported.
The National Park Service is working with the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office to investigate the death.
Colorado River Through Grand Canyon (Photo: E. Whittaker)Horton’s death marks the seventh fatality in the park in less than a month and the 14th this year. Park officials noted that there were 11 fatalities in 2023 and typically report around 10 to 15 deaths annually.
Recent deaths in the park include an 80-year-old man who died in August after falling from a boat into the Colorado River near Fossil Rapid during a commercial river trip, and a 33-year-old woman who was swept away by a flash flood while hiking on August 22.
Other fatalities include a 20-year-old woman from New Mexico found on August 8 below Twin Overlooks, a 43-year-old man from Missouri who died on August 1 while attempting a prohibited BASE jump from Yavapai Point, and a 20-year-old man from North Carolina who fell to his death at the South Rim on July 31.