The No. 1 Cause of Death in National Parks Isn't What You'd Expect

Mortality data from 2014 through 2019 collected by the National Park Service revealed the primary cause of fatalities in parks around the U.S., and it’s far from what you might expect.

Throughout the six years monitored, there were 2,149 recorded deaths recorded in 177 of the 429 American parks the service oversees. Drowning and hiking-related misadventures were responsible for 314 and 255 deaths, respectively, during that period; but the most deaths were found to be “related to driving,” National Parks Traveler reported.