A Georgia woman fell 500 feet to her death while hiking with her husband atop a mesa in Canyonlands National Park, according to officials.
Park Superintendent Walter R. Dabney identified the woman as Ramona Anders, 33, Savannah, Ga. The identity of her husband was not immediately available.Dabney said the woman and her husband were vacationing in the scenic southern Utah park and had risen early Wednesday to watch the sunrise and hike the White Rim Overlook Trail near the Grand View picnic area.
The couple was hiking along the top of a sheer sandstone cliff when the woman lost her balance and slipped. She fell some 500 feet, Dabney said.
Eighteen rangers and members of the San Juan County sheriff's office were lifted into the rugged area by helicopter.
The woman's body was not recovered until late Wednesday evening, Dabney said.
Dabney said the woman is the first park visitor to suffer fatal injuries in a fall in eight years.
Canyonlands is a sprawling national park located in the red rock and sandstone desert some 350 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.