5 Dangerous National Parks In US As Teen Girl Falls To Death From Cliff At San Francisco's Lands End Park

What should have been a fun-filled day for a 17-year-old girl with her friend at a San Francisco recreational park turned out be a nightmare for the teen who died Thursday evening. The girl succumbed to her injuries after falling from a cliff into the water at Lands End, a park in San Francisco within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Emergency personnel were notified about the incident at 6:20 p.m. PDT, San Francisco Fire Department Battalion Chief Denise Newman told reporters at the scene. Newman estimated the girl fell at least 50 feet into the waters below, according to San Francisco Examiner.

“They [the girl and her friend] were probably walking along a path or something… and we’re not sure if she slipped,” Newman said.

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According to CBS SF Bay Area, the San Francisco Fire Department officials said the girl was in the chilly water for around 10-15 minutes. Beach Patrol reached in jet skis to rescue her. The fire department officials also said there were four cliff rescues near Lands End in the past two weeks.

Lands End is not however, the only park where such accidents have taken place. There are several recreational parks in the country that have been dangerous at times, yet remain popular.

1. Yosemite National Park

The national park in California is a playground for people who love the outdoors. However, hundreds of hiking-related deaths there are reported every year. In 2014, 36-year-old Brad Parker died after falling hundreds of feet from a cliff which he was climbing without ropes. He died hours after his girlfriend accepted his marriage proposal, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In 2004, two climbers from Japan were found dangling lifeless on the side of a rock, El Capitan, after a blizzard stranded them. Although the climbers were spotted by Yosemite rangers, they could not be rescued due to high winds and snow. A helicopter crew later spotted the climbers about two-thirds of the way up the 3,200-rock face, the report said.

More than 100 climbing-related accidents take place here each year from a variety of factors, according to the National Park Service (NPS) website.

2. Lake Mead National Recreation Area

This recreational area spans over 1.4 million acres across Arizona and Nevada. But the area around Lake Mead can be quite dangerous for hikers from early spring to late fall. This happens due to extensive desert heat. The park's lake is also another place where fatal accidents have taken place. As many as 254 people have reportedly died so far by drowning in the lake.

According to Outside magazine, Lake Mead National Recreation Area was named the deadliest park in the nation.

3. Grand Canyon National Park

More than 750 people have perished in the Grand Canyon since the mid-1800s, according to CityLab.

A 72-year old man from Los Angeles disappeared on the Hermit Trail in the Canyon on June 11. On June 19, NPS released a statement that said, "After three days of extensive searching, the National Park Service (NPS) will reduce the scale of the search for missing hiker, 72 year old Raffat 'Ralph' Nasser-Eddin of Los Angeles, CA and Lebanon. Nasser-Eddin was last seen near Hermit Camp on the Hermit Trail six days ago on Sunday, June 11, after having entered the canyon last Saturday, June 10. The search will continue in a limited and continuous mode focused on public outreach and searches during regular backcountry patrols."

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4. Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Known for its high waves and current, this recreational area is dangerous if tourists are planning to swim in it. The U.S. Park Police and law enforcement rangers, which serve the park alongside the San Francisco Fire Department, recommend against surfing there, according to the Outside magazine. Due to several suicides, law enforcement warn visitors to not stand on the edges of cliffs that are unstable and not to drive fast on the narrow and windy roads either.

5. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Located in Tennessee, this park is among the most popular parks in the country with an annual footfall of more than 11.3 million visitors, according to the NPS. However, around 38 people die here every year due to hiking accidents.

In May, a man died in a fall from a park waterfall in Gatlinburg, according to WLOS.com, an ABC-affiliate. In December, at least 11 people were killed as wildfires erupted across the Smokies, with more than 70 others injured, reports said.