Rocky Mountain National Park In Colorado Was Just Named One Of The Most Dangerous Parks In The Country

Rocky Mountain National Park is by far the most popular and beloved park in the Centennial State, but did you know that in addition to being drop-dead gorgeous, it is considered to be downright dangerous? Alas, it is true and is deemed as being dangerous for a few surprising reasons:

According to Outforia.com's recently released Danger Parks: Which U.S. National Parks Are The Most Dangerous?, Rocky Mountain National Park is the 8th most dangerous national park in America, as it meets several criteria from the study.

As per the report, Rocky Mountain National Park - which sees more than 4.6 million visitors each year - saw 18 reported falls between 2010 to 2020, plus 5 environmental accidents, 1 poisoning, 6 medical/natural deaths, and 11 miscellaneous injuries.

Overall, Outforia surveyed 62 of the biggest and most popular national parks and found that the most common cause of death and injury within all of the parks were falls (245), medical or natural (192), and undetermined (166).

In addition to Rocky Mountain National Park, 3 other Colorado parks made their way on the list, including Mesa Verde (No. 38), Great Sand Dunes (No. 44), and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (also No. 44, pictured).

In terms of the most dangerous national parks, Outforia found that the Grand Canyon (Arizona), Yosemite (California), and the Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee) were the 3 most dangerous, while the Gateway Arch (Missouri), Petrified Forest (Arizona), Kenai Fjords (Alaska), American Samoa (American Samoa), North Cascades (Washington), Isle Royale (Michigan), Kobuk Valley (Alaska), and Gates of the Arctic (Alaska) tied for safest with no reported injuries or deaths.

To learn more about this study and other travel resources, please visit Outforia's website.

Do you have a favorite attraction that you would like to see featured on Only in Colorado? Nominate it here! To learn even more about Rocky Mountain National Park, check out these 5 Things Everyone Should Know Before Traveling To Rocky Mountain National Park.