GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (NEXSTAR) – The Grand Canyon shared a photo of two hikers sliding down a frozen switchback trail to warn visitors as snow and ice create hazardous conditions.
“The top part of Grand Canyon trails are icy!” Grand Canyon NPS tweeted Monday, sharing the photo of the ill-prepared visitors. “Don’t risk it – like these folks.”
Grand Canyon NPS✔@GrandCanyonNPS
The top part of Grand Canyon trails are icy!
Don’t risk it – like these folks.
If you plan to hike this week bring your shoe traction devices and trekking poles – or purchase them in village shops: (shoe traction $20-$45) (Rent poles at General Store $3 per pole per day)
Neither of the two people pictured appears to have any shoe traction device or trekking poles, and one, seen holding onto the snow-covered rocks for support, is in shorts and tennis shoes.
The photo was actually taken three years ago, according to Lily Daniels, a spokesperson with Grand Canyon National Park, and gets re-shared each year when the snow starts to fall.
“Yesterday the conditions were similar to those in the photo,” Daniels said. “It can be slippery in the snow, there can be ice. We try to educate people to wear crampons and use trekking poles.”
Daniels said some people travel to the Grand Canyon under the misconception that the climate is hot desert all year round.
Seventeen people died in Grand Canyon National Park in 2018, Daniels said.
The park is bracing for a major Thanksgiving storm that is expected to arrive late Wednesday.
LATEST STORIES:
- 101-year-old Hawaii man celebrates birthday at his favorite gym
- City of Leon says Police Chief dies of complications from COVID-19
- $1,400 stimulus checks: Here’s where we stand halfway through January
- “They’re excited to be back”: USD 259 students return to in-person learning during pandemic
- Storm Track 3 Forecast: Not as Windy and A Weekend Warm Up
