Teen dead after falling off a trail up Little Cottonwood Canyon
Aug 20, 2026, 10:33 AM
FILE: A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter circa 2017. A teen is believed to have fallen over a hundred feet to their death while hiking a trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon. (Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
(Photo: Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY —A teen is believed to have fallen over a hundred feet to their death while hiking a trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the 16-year-old boy had been hiking with a group when they slipped and fell off the Devils Castle Trail in the Alta area.
Captain Nate Lords said they received a call at 7:13 p.m. and several agencies, including Alta Marshals, and the Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau responded. It was a DPS crew that found the boy at the bottom of the Devils Castle summit, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The others in the group were able to get off the mountain with no issues.
Related: Search and Rescue teams issue reminder about hiking safety
The boy’s name is not being released at this time. The Sheriff’s office said they extend their deepest condolences to the hiker’s family and loved ones.
The trail is steep and has several exposed areas with rock scrambles leading up to the summit.
Lords said this is a sad reminder to always be prepared and aware of your surroundings while on the mountain.
A view of Devil’s Castle from the trail to Cecret Lake. (Photo: Ambrose Curtis)
‘There’s often opportunities for people to make simple, simple mistakes and it can be the result of what we saw yesterday,” said Lords.
“Some of these things can be avoided, but people are up on the summit that seems to be a little bit more dangerous. So just be careful.”
Other reading: Little Cottonwood Canyon designated as historic recreational climbing area, first in US
