Hiker Killed in Grand Teton National Park

A California woman has died from injuries she sustained when she fell from a hiking trail in Grand Teton National Park

National Park rangers responded before dawn on Friday, after receiving report of a hiker who fell off the west side of Teewinot Mountain in Teton Range of Grand Teton National Park. Rangers located the body of Joy Cho of Simi Valley, California. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cho had been hiking the steep Teewinot trail with seven companions when the accident occurred

Body Extracted By Helicopter

Cho’s body was short-hauled from the scene using the Park’s helicopter and turned over to the Teton County Coroner’s Office. Her hiking companions were flown to Lupine Meadows and transported back to their vehicles at the trailhead.

While Teewinot Mountain is easy to access, the hike is not considered easy and there have been numerous fatalities in recent years.

In the spring of 2014, a  backcountry snowboarder died from injuries he sustained in a 1,500 foot fall on Teewinot Joseph Lohr, 24, was from Anchorage, Alaska.

In 2015, two women were killed on the mountain. Tyler Strandberg, and Catherine Nix, along with their partner Rebecca Anderson, set out from Jackson for the summit of Teewinot going up the East Face. But Anderson lost sight of her climbing partners.

She called 911 on her cellphone and reported the incident. National Park rangers were lowered to the site where Strandberg and Nix were spotted and pronounced Strandberg and Nix dead at the scene.

In 2018, rangers recovered the body of a climber on the east face of Teewinot. 27-year old Burak Akil of Wayne, New Jersey had been solo climbing. 

In September of 2021, Park rangers located the body of a deceased male at the base of the Black Chimney climbing route on Teewinot. He was has identified as 42-year-old Hitoshi Onoe.