Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country. It also turns out to be one of the deadliest.
There are a number of dangers in the Smokies, and visitors might think they need to look out for a bear or elk. Recently, a bull elk injured several visitors, even bucking one person who ended up with a puncture wound in his arm.
Large animals are a danger, and park visitors should keep their distance, but surprisingly, wild animals are not the leading cause of death.
Within the past month, a man died while hiking near Abrams Falls. The waterfall has been the site of numerous other deaths over the years, but falling or drowning isn't the No. 1 cause of death either.
Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in the Smokies,
according to Outforia.
Outforia analyzed nine years of National Park Service death records and park visitor numbers from 2014 to 2022 to find which national park is the deadliest. Great Smoky Mountains National Park was the second deadliest park, just behind Yosemite National Park.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the second deadliest national park in the U.S.
Over the nine-year period, there were 58 accidental deaths in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, trailing just behind Yosemite, which recorded 61.
Although it was classified as the second deadliest, the park had a low death rate per 1 million visitors: just 0.5 deaths per 1 million visitors, ranking No. 24 for risk per visit. That means there was one death for every 1,838,000 Great Smoky Mountains visitors.
With vehicle crashes accounting for the most deaths in the park, drivers should slow down and not rush, be mindful of their speed and pull-off areas, and get an early start to avoid heavy traffic, according to Visit My Smokies.
Driving safety in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The National Park Service warns visitors about tight, curving mountain roads throughout the Smokies and urges people to be careful while driving through the park.
"Great Smoky Mountains contains many winding narrow mountain roads with heavy traffic, blind curves, steep drop-offs, frequent wildlife crossings, and vehicles who frequently cross over center lines," the NPS says.
Mountain roads are "unforgiving," and drivers are encouraged to drive cautiously. The NPS also warns drivers to never drive impaired and says that every year there are multiple alcohol-related deaths in the park.
National Parks with the most deaths
- 10. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
- 9. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
- 8. Zion National Park, Utah
- 7. Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
- 6. Death Valley National Park, California
- 5. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
- 4. Sequoia & Kings National Parks, California
- 3. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
- 2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
- 1. Yosemite National Park, California
Afton Pratt covers trending and breaking news for Knox News and Tennessee. She can be reached at ampratt@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Great Smoky Mountains the second deadliest national park in the US, analysis says
