Two bodies were extracted by a Garfield County Search and Rescue (SAR) team at Bryce Canyon National Park’s Inspiration Point on Tuesday, April 29. Matthew Nannen, 45, and Bailee Crane, 58, were spotted by tourists, who reported them to authorities around midday. By 1:50 p.m., SAR units were en route to the scene with assistance from a Department of Public Safety helicopter.
The Garfield County Sheriff told GearJunkie that the couple had likely been hiking at night on Monday or early Tuesday morning. They ignored the posted safety signs, hopped over a railing, and, at some point, both fell roughly 380 feet to the canyon floor.
It’s still unclear what caused the fall. But investigators noted it was a stormy day, and snow was on the ground, making the clay-based soil very slippery.
Currently, the Sheriff’s Department is reporting this as an accident, although it is still under investigation.
“We’re still attempting to see if we can piece together exactly what happened to cause the fall,” Garfield County Sheriff’s public information officer Wade Matthews said.
Matthews said Nannen and Crane were last known to reside in Florida but had lived in Arizona for a time before traveling to Utah. They were living in “very austere conditions,” he said. “Essentially, they were homeless, and they were living out of a U-Haul trailer at the time they fell.”
Bryce Canyon National Park, Inspiration Point: Two Recovered
Bryce Canyon National Park sees over 2 million visitors a year. Inspiration Point is one of the park’s most highly visited locations. It’s a viewpoint along the Rim Trail that offers spectacular vistas of Bryce Canyon’s iconic hoodoo rock formations.
BJ Cluff, Bryce Canyon’s public information officer, said this was the first time in her memory that a fatality had occurred at that location. She said that this is not a place where accidents frequently occur.
Matthews described the area as being atop the canyon’s rim and surrounded by a clear safety railing. The two hikers went over that railing and were walking near the cliff’s edge.
“We don’t know for sure why,” he said.
Rescuers recovered the woman’s body first, and the man’s body later in the evening. Matthews expressed deep gratitude for the Department of Public Safety’s helicopter assistance in recovering the remains.
“Their efforts, putting themselves at risk, flying a helicopter in a remote area, made our rescue teams safer as a result,” Matthews said.
The Garfield County Sheriff’s Department urged hikers to stay on the trail, be prepared, and follow the rules when visiting national parks.
“We want people to be aware of and observe signage, safety signs, and as well to respect the safety measures such as the railing,” Matthews said. “It’s important that people recognize that those things are there for their safety.”
