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Visitor slips, dies near rushing waterfall in Rocky Mountain National Park

West Creek Falls is on the eastern edge of the national park
WEST CREEK FALLS IN RMNP
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ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. — A 25-year-old died in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) on Sunday after he fell into the water near West Creek Falls and was pulled under.

A spokesperson for RMNP said the man's body was recovered Sunday evening. He was from Providence, Rhode Island.

WEST CREEK FALLS IN RMNP
The West Creek Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park as seen on June 11, 2023.

The circumstances around how and exactly when he fell were not available Monday afternoon. His identity has not been released.

The man's body was flown by Northern Colorado Interagency Helitack to a helispot in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of the park and then transferred to the Office of the Larimer County Coroner/Medical Examiner. A coroner will determine his cause of death.

The trail to West Creek Falls is off the Northern Boundary Trail on the eastern edge of the national park. It is a relatively quiet part of the park.

The below video shows the flow on June 11, 2023.

West Creek Falls | June 11, 2023

The RMNP spokesperson said all waterways in the park — rivers, streams and waterfalls — are running very fast, deep and cold. Visitors should not approach the banks, which are slippery.