We took a look at mortality numbers at these 2 Arizona national parks. Here's what we found.

ARIZONA, USA — Arizona's outdoors are beautiful. But with the freedom and wilderness that our national parks and monuments offer, deadly incidents can happen.

From 2013 to 2023, Lake Mead National Recreation Area had the highest number of deaths of any national park. It was followed by Grand Canyon National Park. This data was provided by the National Park Service's Public Risk Management Program's mortality report.

Lake Mead, located on the border between Arizona and Nevada just behind the Hoover Dam, saw 211 fatalities over those 10 years, according to the mortality report. Drownings were the most common cause of death, with 61 recorded.

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The Grand Canyon National Park was found to have the second-most deaths, and recorded 139 deaths from 2013 to 2023, the mortality report also said. Medical emergencies accounted for 53 of those deaths while falls only accounted for 20.

The numbers may seem steep when taken out of context, but they're a little bit misleading. Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon are two of America's most popular national parks. In 2022 alone, Lake Mead welcomed 5,578,226 visitors and the Grand Canyon recorded 4,732,101 visitors, according to NPS data

In 2022 there were only 24 deaths at Lake Mead National Recreation Area and 8 deaths at Grand Canyon National Park. That means Lake Mead only had 4.3 deaths per million visitors, and the Grand Canyon only had 1.6 deaths per million visitors that year.

If you're wondering which parks are the deadliest per million visitors, Adam Roy with Backpacker examined some of the most dangerous national parks. Using the same methodology, Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon didn't even make the top ten.

With more people visiting these parks, more deaths are going to happen. But ultimately, the odds are still very low. When enjoying the parks, you're responsible for your own safety. You can visit the National Park Foundation's website for a deeper look at how to safely enjoy these incredible landscapes.

>>Editor's note: This story has been corrected from an earlier version that did not accurately reflect NPS data.

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