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Texas Hiker Identified After Fatal Angels Landing Fall at Zion

Officials say the narrow, chained route carries inherent risks despite a permit system that curbs crowds.

Overview

  • Gilberto Ramos, 68, of Laredo, Texas, who fell Friday from the chained section of Angels Landing, was identified Monday by the National Park Service.
  • Rangers and local crews recovered his body Friday evening on the north side near Big Bend, and investigators from NPS and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office are reviewing what happened.
  • The West Rim Trail closed during the response and later reopened, while Angels Landing is shut April 20–23 for scheduled maintenance with the day-before permit lottery resuming April 23 for hikes on April 24.
  • The chained section has required a lottery permit since 2022 to limit daily users to roughly 200–350, and news outlets report this is the first fall death there since the system began.
  • Zion describes the hike as a 5.4-mile route with about 1,500 feet of elevation gain that narrows to a knife-edge with fixed chains, and the park has recorded 59 deaths from 2007 to 2024.