Gilberto Ramos, a 68-year-old man from Laredo, Texas, died after falling from Angels Landing in Zion National Park on Friday, officials said. The fall happened at about 2 p.m. local time in Utah on one of the park’s most famous and challenging trails.
Park officials received reports that a hiker had fallen from the trail’s chained section, then sent rangers and local law enforcement to the scene. Officials later located Ramos on the north side of Angels Landing in Zion Canyon near Big Bend, and recovery operations were completed Friday evening.
His remains were transferred to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner, which publicly identified him on Monday along with the sheriff’s office. The National Park Service and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall.
The death came as Angels Landing is closed from April 20 through April 23 for trail maintenance, and no permits will be issued during that period. The day-before lottery will reopen April 23 for hikes scheduled April 24, while the broader West Rim Trail remains open.
Angels Landing is known for its narrow ridge line and sheer drop-offs, and officials temporarily closed the West Rim Trail, including Scout Lookout and Angels Landing, during the response and recovery effort. For Ramos’s family, the trail that draws hikers for its views now carries the final details of a fatal day on the canyon rim.
