A Florida hiker died in Oregon after falling off the edge of a cliff early Tuesday morning at Crater Lake National Park in the Cascade Mountains, according to local news outlets.
The 20-year-old man was inside Crater Lake's caldera, a dangerous and prohibited area at the lake, according to The Oregonian.
Witnesses said the victim, who has not been publicly identified pending notification of next of kin, climbed down into the caldera and walked onto a rocky point, Crater Lake National Park supervisory ranger Alec Chapman told the Mail Tribune.
Rocks on the ledge where the hiker was standing gave way and he fell 50 to 70 feet down the cliff.
Crews had to rappel down into the caldera to recover the victim’s body.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet deep and the ninth deepest lake in the world, according to the National Park Service.
Credit: Education Images
Credit: Education Images
In 2016, more than 750,000 people visited Crater Lake National Park.
Sarah Elsesser contributed to this report.
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