A man fell 80 feet to his death yesterday from the top of Ramsey Cascades, the tallest waterfall in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The name of the the 37-year-old male hiker has not yet been release, but he was seen climbing across the top of the waterfall by other park goers shortly before he lost his footing somewhere near the brink of the 100-foot waterfall.
Park rangers arrived on the scene shortly after the accident—which occurred on Sunday, May 28—and declared the man dead, but his body was not recovered until the next day.
According to park officials, the man was hiking alone when the accident occurred.
Here’s more from the National Park Service:
Man Falls at Ramsey Cascades
On Sunday, May 28, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Rangers received a report that a 37 year-old male fell from the top of the 100-foot tall Ramsey Cascades waterfall late that afternoon. The man, who was hiking alone, was observed climbing across the top of the waterfall before he fell. Park Rangers immediately responded to the scene and determined the individual, who had fallen approximately 80 feet, was deceased. Rangers recovered the body on Monday, May 29. The name of the individual is being withheld until family notifications have been made.
The 4-mile hike to Ramsey Cascades begins from the Ramsey Cascades Trailhead located in the Greenbrier area of the park. For more information about the area, please visit the park website. nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/ramsey-cascades.htm.
