Most visitors to Canada’s famous Banff National Park enjoy their trip without incident, but recently the country’s most popular park has also proved quite deadly. Accidents have caused six fatalities inside the park this summer, including the deaths of two hikers in the last week.
What Happened
Banff is known for its impressive peaks that are popular with climbers and hikers. Many are accessible only by scrambling over steep terrain, which can easily lead to potentially fatal falls.
In the last week, two hikers died after falls on Recondite Peak and the Devil’s Thumb, which reach over 11,000 and 8,000 feet, respectively. The hiker on Recondite Peak was experienced in the backcountry and worked as a guide.
In July, a 65-year-old man died after a fall on the park’s trail up Mt. Temple (11,621 feet). Parks Canada warns visitors that the peak can be dangerous due to rockfall. That same month, a woman in her 20s died after a fall on a mountain near Mt. Marvel. The park experienced two other fatalities this year due to drownings in Johnson Lake and Johnston Canyon.
Those are only deaths within the park boundaries. Expanding to the surrounding Kananaskis Country, a 1,544-square-mile park and protected area in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, increases that number to 10, including another drowning and three more hikers.
The Context
Banff National Park has been the site of six fatalities this summer, which is a marked increase from recent years. In summer 2025, rockfall killed two individuals (a snow accident in December led to another fatality). In summer 2024, there were no deaths in the park, and in summer 2023, a grizzly bear attack killed two individuals.
One likely reason for this increase is Banff’s growing popularity. The more visitors come to a park, the more likely it is that something will go wrong. In 2025, it reached a new record of 4.5 million visitors, up from 4.2 million in 2023–2024.
While this is a higher number, it is still lower than the fatalities recorded in popular national parks in the U.S., like Yosemite, which recorded nine deaths in 2025 and 16 (six of which were natural causes) in 2024.
The causes of death in Banff closely mirror what happens in U.S. national parks. Across the National Park Service, drowning is the number one cause of death, followed closely by falls and motor vehicle accidents. Eighteen people have died on the iconic Angel’s Landing hike in Zion National Park, the majority from falls. Whether it’s in Canada or Utah, all it takes is one wrong step, one slip, or one loose rock to lead to a disaster.
GearJunkie reached out to Banff National Park for comment, but did not receive a reply.
For more information on staying safe in the outdoors, check out Park Canada’s resources.
