Deserts can be dangerous places if you aren’t prepared for their unforgiving terrain and weather. White Sands National Park has seen its share of tragedy within its boundaries, with victims succumbing to the white sands nearly every year. But one boy survived in 2015 and made it out alive.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Sands_National_Park

https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm

https://www.nps.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/safety.htm

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/david-ornella-steiner

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/mariah-reading-national-park-art/

https://www.cnn.com/2015/08/10/us/new-mexico-french-deaths

Support the show

Join our Patreon for bonus content! Click here!

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com

Buy Me a Coffee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’re been on social media, you’ve probably seen videos or pictures of bison attacking tourists in our national parks. Online articles will tell you it's pretty rare but with the plethora of pictures and videos and stories online says otherwise. With many more people getting outside these attacks seem to be becoming more frequent, and not just for bison, but for all animals. Antelope Island State Park in Salt Lake City, Utah saw two gorings in 2019.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope_Island

This is Love Podcast

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/woman-gored-bison-utah-same-park-where-date-had-been-n1060741

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49898709

https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/8/29/21407152/bison-davis-county-man-critically-injured-at-antelope-island-state-park-likely-gored/

Support the show

Join our Patreon for bonus content! Click here!

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com

Buy Me a Coffee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2021, search crews at Grand Canyon National Park made an unexpected discovery while looking for another missing person: skeletal remains believed to be of another missing person. His backpack had been found years earlier with prescription bottles bearing his name, but no trace of him was located until the 2021 aerial search. His remains were there the whole time, blending into the canyon until chance and persistence finally brought him home.

Sources:

https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/blog/8-facts-about-grand-canyon-you-never-knew

https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm

\https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/body-of-hungarian-man-missing-since-july-recovered-in-grand-canyon

https://npshistory.com/morningreport/incidents/grca.htm

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/grand-canyon-search-human-remains-scott-walsh/

https://unidentified-awareness.fandom.com/wiki/Scott_Walsh

https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/89603

https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1563/cold-cases.htm

https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/gibbs-missing-person.htm?utm

Support the show

Join our Patreon for bonus content! Click here!

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com

Buy Me a Coffee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was the summer of 1933, and Rocky Mountain National Park was still young — wild, untamed, and only partly mapped. On August 15th, a 22-year-old University of Chicago student set out on a solo hike. He told his friend he was heading toward Taylor Peak — just another day in the mountains before he had to return home to Chicago. But he never came back and his disappearance remains unsolved to this day. This is one of Rocky Mountain National Park’s oldest active missing persons cases.

Tips: You can call the Colorado Bureau of Investigation 303-239-5764 or the Glendale Police Department 303-759-1511.

Sources:

https://charleyproject.org/case/joseph-laurence-halpern

https://www.dailycamera.com/2010/01/24/joseph-halperns-family-continues-search-for-lost-hiker/

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/4185dmco.html

https://defrostingcoldcases.com/guest-post-joseph-halpern-part-1-by-silvia-pettem/

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/life/2018/08/10/inside-rocky-mountain-national-parks-1933-missing-hiker-mystery-joe-halpern/940601002/

https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/national-park-service-finds-rudi-moder-hiker-missing-38-years/

Support the show

Join our Patreon for bonus content! Click here!

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com

Buy Me a Coffee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mount Everest: the world’s highest peak above sea level. It's iconic and stands against the sky like a giant. Everest is covered in snow and ice…and dead bodies. It is famous for its “Death Zone” which has extremely thin air, making breathing difficult, requiring supplemental oxygen for climbers. This beautiful mountain is dotted with many climbers who never made their way down.

Sources:

https://www.ultimatekilimanjaro.com/mount-everest-bodies-left-dead-frozen-at-the-top/

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8svfgApUsy/?hl=en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/climbing-mount-everest-1

Support the show

Join our Patreon for bonus content! Click here!

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com

Buy Me a Coffee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When taking in the sights at beautiful overlooks many people don’t give a second thought to if the platform they’re standing on is safe…because why wouldn’t it be? But what happens when governments don’t appropriately fund high tourist areas such as national parks? When parks are underfunded and people still visit, fatalities are more likely to occur. This is what happened in Paparoa National Park in April of 1995.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paparoa_National_Park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_Creek_disaster

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/14-die-cave-creek#:~:text=On%20April%2028%2C%201995%2C%2014%20people%20died,the%2014%20deceased%20were%20recovered%20by%20nightfall.

https://cavecreek.weebly.com/long-term-consequences.html

https://www.1news.co.nz/2025/04/28/sadness-gratitude-cave-creek-survivors-reflect-30-years-on/

Support the show

Join our Patreon for bonus content! Click here!

The 10 Essentials for Outdoor Recreation here.

Leave No Trace (LNT) principles here.

Share a "Campfire Story" for us to read on the pod! email us: morbidoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com

Buy Me a Coffee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.