Deaths at national parks are inevitable.
The National Park System comprises 419 areas, 61 of which are designated national parks. Together, they cover more than 85 million acres and are visited by hundreds of millions of people a year -- more than 318 million in 2018 , to be exact.
With those numbers, there's bound to be tragedy. And sometimes, a rash of freak accidents puts a particular park in the spotlight, such as the four deaths at Grand Canyon since March .
On any given week, there are an average of six deaths per week in the National Park System.
That's according to park service chief spokesman Jeremy Barnum.
That works out to about 312 deaths a year, or a little less than one death per million visitors.
Causes of death vary from drownings and falls to motor vehicle accidents and medical incidents like heart attacks.
Safe visits require planning
The bottom line is, national parks highlight the very best natural beauty the country has to offer. And nature can be dangerous.
"Throughout the year, the National Park System offers a wide range of visitor experiences in unique landscapes with potential hazards that may exist at parks across the nation," Barnum told CNN.
Visitors, he said, can reduce their risk of injury if they
Safe photography requires care
Of course, for many park visitors, photographing nature's splendor -- and their presence in it -- is a part of the experience.
Every once in a while, a visitor will die while attempting to take a photograph. For instance, one of the people who recently fell and died at the Grand Canyon was reportedly trying to take photos at an overlook.
This is a serious concern for a lot of parks.
Yellowstone National Park provides a guide for visitors outlining dangerous selfie locations. Among them: Next to geysers, in a hot spring, in Yellowstone lake, on the edge of a canyon and alongside wildlife.
The National Park Service also has a general photography guide encouraging visitors to check park alerts for hazards and closures, and stay on designated trails regardless of the temptation for an off-road pic.
"We get it -- national parks have some pretty photogenic scenery," the guide reads. "The views are truly magnificent. While we want you to capture all of the splendor of our amazing parks, do not put your life at risk for a picture."
Several recent accidents have made headlines
On Tuesday, a 70-year-old woman fell to her death at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park , marking the fourth recent death in the park.
In late March and early April, three visitors died in the park within the span of eight days , and two of those deaths were due to falls.
According to a Grand Canyon National Park spokesperson, an average of 12 people die a year at the Grand Canyon, and the causes range from heat, drowning, natural causes and, rarely, falls.
To put that in perspective: in 2018, the Grand Canyon National Park was the 8th most-visited park in the US , with 6,280,495 visitors. That's less than one death per 500,000 visitors.
Kifo katika mbuga za kitaifa ni jambo lisiloepukika. Mfumo wa Hifadhi za Kitaifa una maeneo 419, 61 kati ya hayo yamechaguliwa kuwa Hifadhi za Kitaifa. Pamoja, zinafunika zaidi ya ekari milioni 85 na hutembelewa na mamia ya mamilioni ya watu kwa mwaka - zaidi ya milioni 318 mnamo 2018 - kwa usahihi. Kwa idadi hiyo, ni lazima kuwe na msiba. Na wakati mwingine, mlipuko wa ajali za ajabu huweka mbuga fulani haswa katika mwangaza, kama vile vifo vinne katika Grand Canyon tangu Machi. Katika wiki yoyote, kuna wastani wa vifo sita kwa wiki katika Mfumo wa Hifadhi ya Taifa. Hii ni kwa mujibu wa msemaji mkuu wa huduma ya mbuga Jeremy Barnum. Hii inamaanisha kuwa kuna vifo 312 kwa mwaka, au karibu vifo 1 kwa kila wageni milioni. Sababu za kifo hutofautiana kutoka kwa kuzama na kuanguka hadi ajali za magari na matukio ya matibabu kama mshtuko wa moyo. Usalama wa ziara unahitaji mipango: Mstari wa chini ni kwamba mbuga za kitaifa zinaonyesha uzuri bora wa asili ambayo nchi inatoa. Na asili yaweza kuwa hatari. "Katika mwaka mzima, Mfumo wa Hifadhi ya Kitaifa hutoa uzoefu mbalimbali wa wageni katika mandhari ya kipekee na hatari zinazoweza kuwepo katika mbuga kote nchini, ""Barnum aliambia CNN." "Watalii wanaweza kupunguza hatari ya kujeruhiwa ikiwa wanafanya ""upigaji picha salama"" - kwa wageni wengi wa mbuga, kupiga picha uzuri wa asili na uwepo wao ndani yake ni sehemu ya uzoefu." Mara kwa mara, mgeni fulani hufa anapojaribu kupiga picha. Kwa mfano, mmoja wa watu waliokufa hivi karibuni kwenye Mlima Grand Canyon aliripotiwa kuwa anajaribu kupiga picha kwenye mahali pa kutazama. Hii ni wasiwasi mkubwa kwa mbuga nyingi. Hifadhi ya Kitaifa ya Yellowstone hutoa mwongozo kwa wageni unaoonyesha maeneo hatari ya kupiga picha za kibinafsi. Miongoni mwao: Karibu na geysers, katika chemchemi ya joto, katika ziwa la Yellowstone, kwenye ukingo wa canyon na pamoja na wanyama wa porini. Huduma ya Hifadhi ya Taifa pia ina mwongozo wa jumla wa upigaji picha unaowahimiza wageni kuangalia tahadhari za mbuga kwa hatari na kufungwa, na kukaa kwenye njia zilizowekwa bila kujali kishawishi cha picha ya barabarani. "Tunaelewa - mbuga za kitaifa zina mandhari yenye kupendeza sana", mwongozo huo wasoma. "Maono hayo ni yenye kupendeza sana. """Hata kama tunataka kuishika fahari yote ya mbuga zetu za ajabu, usihatarishe maisha yako kwa picha." Mmoja wa watu waliouawa katika ajali hiyo ni mwanamke mwenye umri wa miaka 70 ambaye alianguka na kufa katika eneo la Grand Canyon, eneo ambalo ni eneo la nne la vifo katika eneo hilo. Mwishoni mwa mwezi Machi na mwanzoni mwa Aprili, wageni watatu walikufa katika mbuga hiyo kwa muda wa siku nane, na wawili kati ya hao walikufa kutokana na kuanguka. Kwa mujibu wa msemaji wa Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Grand Canyon, wastani wa watu 12 hufa kila mwaka katika Grand Canyon, na sababu zinatofautiana kutoka joto, kuzama, sababu za asili na, mara chache, kuanguka. Kwa mujibu wa takwimu za mwaka 2018, Grand Canyon ilikuwa ni hifadhi ya nane kwa idadi ya wageni nchini Marekani. Hiyo ni chini ya kifo kimoja kwa kila wageni 500,000.