Death in the National Parks: Who, How, and Why

# Death in the National Parks: Who, How, and Why

• Friday, January 9, 2026
• 7:30 PM 9:00 PM
• Zoom (map)

Why do some people lose their lives in America’s national parks? Randi Minetor, author of nine books in the non-fiction "Death in the National Parks" series, explores the fatal mistakes people make when they venture into unfamiliar wilderness.
Some forget critical steps in their preparation, forging off into wild lands far too challenging for their level of experience. Some refuse advice, ignoring weather reports and warnings from rangers and more seasoned adventurers. Some take unnecessary chances or overestimate their own skill level. Others are simply in the wrong place at the right time, becoming victims of a lightning strike or a falling rock, or camping on the night when grizzly bears’ perception of human beings turned from seeing them as a source of food to seeing them as food. And some fall prey to other people who set out to kill them, banking on the seclusion of the backcountry, the lack of witnesses, and the likelihood that high cliffs or deep canals will hide their misdeeds forever.
Randi shares highlights of her in-depth research and what it reveals about the people who perish in the parks. She offers insights about why people are driven to challenge themselves in the wilderness no matter the odds against their safe return and provides helpful tips on how to avoid your own disaster in a national park.​

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