News Release

Fatality at Bryce Canyon National Park

Undated photo of two hikers along the 8-mile Fairyland Loop Trail.

News Release Date: August 26, 2023

Contact: Peter Densmore

Bryce Canyon National Park received a report at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 25 of a hiker, 64-year-old Jeanne Roblez Howell of Sedona, Arizona, who was overdue from a 2 p.m. hike on the Fairyland Loop trail. A search of the area was conducted in cooperation with the Garfield County Sheriff’s office and the Utah Department of Public Safety. The body of Mrs. Howell was discovered at 1:30 a.m. on August 26 within Campbell Canyon, approximately a mile east of the Fairyland Loop. She was pronounced deceased at the scene by a Garfield County medical examiner.

A thunderstorm delivered heavy rain to the northern end of Bryce Canyon National Park on the afternoon of August 25. Flash flooding was observed in dry washes along the 8-mile Fairyland Loop trail.

“This is a tragic event, and our deepest sympathy goes out to the victim’s friends and family,” said Allana Olbrich, acting Bryce Canyon superintendent, “I also want to express the park’s appreciation for the support we’ve received from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Department of Public Safety.”