Do people get altitude sickness at the Grand Canyon?

High-Altitude Hazards -- The Grand Canyon rim's high elevation (approximately 7,000 ft.) can lead to altitude sickness, shortness of breath, fatigue, and even nausea. Be sure to drink plenty of water and take it easy, particularly when you first arrive to this elevation.



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This is the largest outbreak of acute gastroenteritis documented in the Grand Canyon National Park backcountry. Preliminary analysis of illness characteristics and portable toilet specimen test results suggested norovirus as the primary causative agent of illness.

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Airplane and helicopter crashes are the most common cause of death at the Grand Canyon, followed by falling, which includes both accidents and suicides. Other causes of death include hiking and environmental deaths such as dehydration, starving, and freezing, according to data from Hastings & Hastings.

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How Many Grand Canyon Deaths Happen Per Year? An average of 12 deaths happen at the Grand Canyon every year. The odds of dying from falling off the rim in the Grand Canyon are 1 in 1.8 million visitors.

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As air sinks down into a lower elevation, it gets compressed, compressed air releases heat as energy. This caused the air mass to become even warmer. “This is why you can see temperatures in the 90's at the top of the Grand Canyon but temperatures 20-30 degrees hotter at the bottom of the canyon,” Brink says.

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Treating altitude sickness with hyperbaric oxygen therapy Air at sea level contains 21 per cent oxygen, while hyperbaric oxygen therapy can deliver up to 100 per cent pure oxygen. This form of therapy floods the body with oxygen and relieves the symptoms of altitude sickness.

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Falls, heat stroke, dehydration: Each year, hikers die on their Grand Canyon trip because they underestimate the dangers of the wilderness. Canyon experts Michael Ghiglieri and Tom Myers (a biologist and a medical doctor) documented these tragedies in their book Over the Edge – Death in Grand Canyon.

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Air pollution has routinely drifted into the canyon from metropolitan areas and nearby coal-fired power plants, affecting visibility from scenic vistas. Water in some streams has been tainted with fecal coliform from trespass cattle and from human waste.

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