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This archival photo shows a couple getting married at Taft Point, in Yosemite National Park, California on September 27, 2018. The viewpoint overlooks the Yosemite Valley, including El Capitan, an ascent vertical popular for climbers around the world. Thursday, two visitors apparently died of the watchman, the officials I said.
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This archival photo shows a couple who were married at Taft Point in Yosemite National Park, California on September 27, 2018. The viewpoint overlooks the Yosemite Valley, including El Capitan, a popular vertical climb.
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Photo: Amanda Lee Myers / Associated Press
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Western View of Promontory Point in Autumn, Taft Point Overlook, Yosemite Valley and El Capitan, Taft Point, Yosemite National Park. Thursday, two visitors apparently died of the watchman, the officials I said.
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Western View of Promontory Point in Autumn, Taft Point Overlook, Yosemite Valley and El Capitan, Taft Point, Yosemite National Park. Thursday, two visitors are apparently dead from death
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Photo: VW Pics / UIG via Getty Images
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Nobody on the edge of the tip of Taft Yosemite Valley, UNESCO World Heritage Site, California United States of America North America. Thursday, two visitors apparently died of the watchman, the officials I said.
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Nobody on the edge of the tip of Taft Yosemite Valley, UNESCO World Heritage Site, California United States of America North America. Thursday, two visitors are apparently dead from death
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Photo: REDA & CO / UIG via Getty Images
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A study by Outside ranked the deadliest national parks in the United States. Here is the top 10.
A study by Outside ranked the deadliest national parks in the United States. Here is the top 10.
Photo: Mason Cummings / Parks Conservancy
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No. 10 – Natchez Trace Parkway
Size: 444 miles
Visitors: 5.9 million a year
Number of deaths: 56
Common Cause of Death: Road Accidents
No. 10 – Natchez Trace Parkway
Size: 444 miles
Visitors: 5.9 million a year
Number of deaths: 56
Common Cause of Death: Road Accidents
Photo: AP
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No. 9 – Grand Teton National Park
Size: 309,993 acres
Visitors: 3.3 million a year
Death: 59
Common causes of death: falls, mountaineering accidents
No. 9 – Grand Teton National Park
Size: 309,993 acres
Visitors: 3.3 million a year
Death: 59
Common causes of death: falls, mountaineering accidents
Photo: Gail Shotlander, Getty Images / Flickr RF
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No. 8 – The Great Smoky Mountains
Size: 521,621
Visitors: 11.3 million a year
Death: 60
Common Cause of Death: Road Accidents
No. 8 – The Great Smoky Mountains
Size: 521,621
Visitors: 11.3 million a year
Death: 60
Common Cause of Death: Road Accidents
Photo: Robin Soslow / For The Express-News
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No. 7 – Denali National Park and Preserve
Size: 6 million acres
Visitors: 587,412 per year
Death: 62
Common causes of death: falls, mountaineering accidents
No. 7 – Denali National Park and Preserve
Size: 6 million acres
Visitors: 587,412 per year
Death: 62
Common causes of death: falls, mountaineering accidents
Photo: Becky Bohrer
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# 6 – Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Size: 1.25 million acres
Visitors: 3.2 million a year
Death: 82
Common cause of death: drowning
# 6 – Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Size: 1.25 million acres
Visitors: 3.2 million a year
Death: 82
Common cause of death: drowning
Photo: Glow Images, Inc., Getty Images
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No. 5 – Golden Gate Bridge in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Size: 82,000 acres
Visitors: 15.6 million a year
Death: 85
Common causes of death: drowning, road accidents
No. 5 – Golden Gate Bridge in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Size: 82,000 acres
Visitors: 15.6 million a year
Death: 85
Common causes of death: drowning, road accidents
Photo: Brian Van Der Brug / McClatchy-Tribune Press Office
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No. 4 – Yellowstone National Park
Size: 2.2 million acres
Visitors: 5,969 million a year (should it round to 6 million?)
Death: 93
Common cause of death: Burns caused by burning during falls in thermal pools
No. 4 – Yellowstone National Park
Size: 2.2 million acres
Visitors: 5,969 million a year (should it round to 6 million?)
Death: 93
Common cause of death: Burns caused by burning during falls in thermal pools
Photo: Marie-Louise Mandl / EyeEm / Getty Images / EyeEm
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No. 3 – Grand Canyon National Park
Size: 1.2 million acres
Visitors: 5.5 million a year
Death: 130
Common causes of death: falls, heart attacks
No. 3 – Grand Canyon National Park
Size: 1.2 million acres
Visitors: 5.5 million a year
Death: 130
Common causes of death: falls, heart attacks
Photo: JEFF ROBBINS, Associated Press
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No. 2 – Yosemite National Park
Size: 747,956 acres
Visitors: 5 million a year
Death: 150
Common causes of death: falls, natural causes
No. 2 – Yosemite National Park
Size: 747,956 acres
Visitors: 5 million a year
Death: 150
Common causes of death: falls, natural causes
Photo: Tom Stienstra / Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle
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Photo: Amanda Lee Myers / Associated Press
This archival photo shows a couple getting married at Taft Point, in Yosemite National Park, California on September 27, 2018. The viewpoint overlooks the Yosemite Valley, including El Capitan, an ascent vertical popular for climbers around the world. Thursday, two visitors apparently died of the watchman, the officials I said.
less
This archival photo shows a couple who were married at Taft Point in Yosemite National Park, California on September 27, 2018. The viewpoint overlooks the Yosemite Valley, including El Capitan, a popular vertical climb.
… more
Photo: Amanda Lee Myers / Associated Press
Two people die falling from the view of Yosemite Park; six deaths in 2018
Two visitors to Yosemite National Park are reported to have died in Taft Point, an area known for its spectacular views at 3,000 feet above sea level, officials said Thursday.
The bodies of an unidentified man and woman were found by rangers, said Jamie Richards, a spokeswoman for the park. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Richards said visitors spotted the two bodies Wednesday on the steep terrain below Taft Point, but not at the bottom of the valley. The Yosemite rangers surrendered to them on Thursday, she said, and began the recovery effort.
"Currently, it seems that they have fallen from Taft Point," Richards said.
Taft Point, the famous 7500-foot high headland, is a popular hiking destination on Glacier Point Road. Hikers can walk 1.1 km directly along the cliff to admire breathtaking views of the Yosemite Valley, El Capitan and Yosemite Falls.
The granite ledge hanging over the edge like a diving board is a favorite spot for snapshots. An inadvertent photo taken by a professional photographer of a couple got engaged at the point went viral last week. The photographer would have looked for the couple, but could not have found it.
Richards said that it was impossible to know for the moment who the two people were dead, whether it was mountaineers or tourists, how and why they had fallen. She stated however that there was a safety ramp at the edge of the tip.
"It is too early for us to speculate on these issues," she said. "The investigation is likely to last several weeks and any response will flow from this investigation."
Richards said that there have been 10 deaths in the park this year. Six of these park visitors died.
In May, a 29-year-old man fell climbing cables on Half Dome. In June, two experienced mountaineers, aged 45 and 42, fell from El Capitan. In September, an 18-year-old man fell from Nevada Fall.
Richards said the tragedy is "a good reminder to stay on designated trails and respect your physical limits."
Steve Rubenstein and Peter Fimrite are editors of the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected], [email protected] Twitter: @SteveRubeSF, @pfimrite
