LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Several trails in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area are temporarily closed, and rangers are attempting to rescue 28 hikers, including 25 children with special needs.
The Arizona Hot Springs trail and Goldstrike trail are both temporarily closed due to dangerously high temperatures and multiple heat-related search and rescue incidents.
Temperatures in the canyons are expected to exceed 100 degrees and the National Park Service said “many hikers are not adequately prepared for these extreme conditions.”
According to the National Park Service, the group of 28 hikers attempted to reach Arizona Hot Springs without adequate preparation.
“With the season’s heat just beginning, most people are not yet acclimated, increasing the likelihood of heat illness,” NPS said.
On April 9, a hiker died on the Arizona Hot Springs trail in what was suspected to be a heat-related incident. Five other members of the same group also experienced heat distress and had to be evacuated by helicopter.
The trail closures are expected to remain in effect for several days. If temperatures drop by Sunday or Monday, the trails may reopen temporarily, but closures will resume as conditions become hazardous again.
