64-year-old hiker found dead at Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park

The body of a 64-year-old woman was discovered at Bryce Canyon National Park on Aug. 26.

In a news release, the National Park Service said the victim was Jeanne Roblez Howell of Sedona, Arizona. Bryce Canyon National Park received a report on the evening of Aug. 25 that she had yet to return from her 2 p.m. hike on a trail called Fairyland Loop.

Howell’s body was discovered later in the early hours of Aug. 26 in Campbell Canyon, which is located nearly a mile east of the Fairyland Loop.

A Garfield County medical examiner pronounced Jeanne Roblez Howell dead at the Campbell Canyon scene.

The news release noted that on Aug. 25, Bryce Canyon National Park experienced heavy rain due to a thunderstorm and that more flash flooding was seen along the Fairyland Loop trail.

Bryce Canyon National Park's visual information specialist Peter Densmore told TODAY.com via email that a medical examiner is conducting an investigation to determine Howell's cause of death, but " circumstances of this incident are similar to other fatalities involving flash floods."

“This is a tragic event, and our deepest sympathy goes out to the victim’s friends and family,” Allana Olbrich, Bryce Canyon’s acting superintendent, said in the news release. “I also want to express the park’s appreciation for the support we’ve received from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Department of Public Safety.”

How hard is the Fairyland Trail?

The Fairyland Loop is an 8-mile hike in southern Utah that typically takes 4-5 hours to complete. It is one of five trails in the Bryce Canyon National Park Scenic Trails Historic District. According to the National Park Service, it is considered "strenuous" in nature due to rapid elevation gain and its length.

Fairyland Trail is located 313.2 miles away from Sedona, Arizona, where Howell was from.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com