GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — A woman who was hiking in the Tuweep area of the Grand Canyon died earlier this week as temperatures reached well over 100 degrees.
In a news release, the National Park Service said that a park ranger was called about a distressed hiker around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
A 57-year-old woman was trying to do an eight-mile hike in the area when she became unconscious, according to the NPS. A park ranger arrived in the area around 1 a.m. on July 3 and pronounced the woman deceased.
Officials said the high temperature on Sunday was over 100 degrees in the Tuweep area, according to The Associated Press. The NPS said the temperature near the Colorado River by the North Kaibab trail was around 114 degrees Fahrenheit that day.
An excessive heat warning is in place in the inner canyon portions of the Grand Canyon through Wednesday, the NPS said.
“Park rangers at Grand Canyon National Park urge visitors to Grand Canyon, especially inner canyon hikers, and backpackers, to be prepared for excessively hot days in the coming weeks,” the NPS said.
Park rangers are advising hikers to not hike the inner canyon between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during the summer as temperatures could reach over 120 degrees in those parts, according to CNN.
The Mohave County Medical Examiner is working with NPS on the investigation of this incident.
The woman’s name has not yet been released.