Woman Dies After Falling 60ft From Cliff In Great Smoky Mountain National Park

A 65-year-old female has died aft falling from a 60-foot cliff-edge successful nan Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The hiker was stepping nan Alum Cave Trail, southbound of Gatlinburg, Tennessee connected 28 March erstwhile nan incident occurred.

Rangers responded aft receiving reports a female had fallen, but they were incapable to resuscitate her.

On Monday, nan parkland was still attempting to interaction nan woman’s adjacent of kin, nan Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

As of 31 March, parkland authorities had not yet released nan woman’s name.

Great Smokey is nan most-visited nationalist parkland successful nan United States, pinch 11.5 cardinal visitors successful nan 2025, according to nan National Parks Service.

It spans a half-million distant and mountainous acres on nan North Carolina-Tennessee separator and hosts a conception of nan 2,200 mile-long Appalachian Trial.

Alum cave way follows a 4.6 mile way and winds past Alum Cave Bluffs and done Arch Rock.

The National Park Service cautions hikers connected their website that nan way tin go very steep arsenic it leads to Mount LeConte, which attracts millions of visitors each year.

A time earlier, connected Friday, 2 parkland visitors were hospitalized aft monolithic boulders smashed into their conveyance during an unexpected rockslide, according to nan Charlotte Observer.

The 2 conveyance occupants sustained superior injuries but are expected to survive.

The decease connected Saturday is nan 5th successful nan Great Smoky Mountains National Park this year, compared to 16 deaths successful 2025 and 9 2024.

“Fatal injuries hap each twelvemonth successful Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Motor conveyance accidents and drownings are nan starring causes of death,” nan parkland said connected their website.

In 2024, nan it classed 4th connected a database of nan astir vulnerable nationalist parks successful nan U.S, signaling a full of 104 fatalities betwixt July 2013 and July 2023.

More than a 3rd of these fatalities progressive centrifugal vehicles, pinch astir occurring successful September.

The park’s website besides warns of venomous snakes, watercourse crossings, and – moreover successful summertime – hypothermia.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established successful 1934 by nan U.S. Congress and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site successful 1983.

It was nan first nationalist parkland to beryllium portion funded by nan national government; parks antecedently being tally and maintained pinch only authorities costs aliases backstage contributions.