North Cascades National Park: The Deadliest Park in the United States?

 North Cascades National Park, located northeast of Seattle, is a stunningly beautiful but little-visited national park. It is also the deadliest park in the United States, according to a recent NBC News analysis of 15 years of federal data. In that period, North Cascades National Park had 3.7 deaths per 100,000 visitors, over three times the rate of the next-deadliest site, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Reserve in southern Alaska.

Fourteen people died in North Cascades in those 15 years, a relatively small number compared to well-known parks like Lake Mead, Yosemite, or Grand Canyon, which have far higher visitation rates and death totals. However, some climbers and guides are concerned that without changes at North Cascades, the park's dangers could increase.

Mountaineering is a popular activity in North Cascades, and the majority of deaths that Kelly Bush, a former ranger who worked at the park for over three decades, knew about were among alpine climbers and hikers who had fallen from mountains or were fatally wounded by falling rocks and ice.

Is North Cascades National Park too Dangerous for Visitors? 

Some climbers and guides believe that park officials could do more to make North Cascades less risky, such as allowing the careful, limited use of "bolted anchors," which are devices fixed into the rock to tether climbers to mountains. These anchors are considered the safest, sturdiest, and most controversial equipment climbers can use to protect themselves from falling.

It remains to be seen if the park will allow bolted anchors as much of North Cascades is wilderness, and park officials are known for fiercely protecting those lands and embracing traditional mountaineering with its leave-no-trace philosophy.

If officials do not allow climbers to make some of the park's most popular routes safer, there is a prediction that the park may experience more accidents, injuries, and deaths in the future.

The Causes of Deaths in North Cascades National Park

The data obtained through a public records request from North Cascades does not list the causes of death. The agency has not processed a separate records request for the causes of death, so it remains unclear what specific activities are most dangerous in the park.

Cynthia Hernandez, a park service spokeswoman, said that several years of the data obtained by NBC News are preliminary and could change after review. Hernandez added that there were "numerous and often not reported, non-fatal injuries and near misses" within the national park system. According to Hernandez, slips, trips, falls, drownings and car accidents were the most common ways visitors to parks get hurt.

Final Thoughts on North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park is one of the most beautiful and scenic parks in the United States, but it is also one of the deadliest. Although there are no clear indications of what specific activities are most dangerous, it is recommended that visitors exercise caution and adhere to the park's safety guidelines. Visitors should also keep in mind that the park's officials may be hesitant to make changes to its mountaineering policies and practices, which could limit the safety of visitors.